Time Toon Cops: The Fight Before Christmas
by raccoonqueen
Summary: The TTC series' first Christmas special.
1. Prologue: The Tale Begins

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy Holidays, everyone! Christmas is on its way, and you know what that means-it's time for our very first Time Toon Cops Christmas special! Here's a recap of what happened the last time we checked on our favorite crime-fighting team (excuse me if I intend it to be real long)...

A rocket lands in the backyard of Bentley and Vanessa Raccoon's home in Hollywood, in which they find an alien baby named Kal-El. They later learn that the baby was sent to Earth from his Kryptonian adoptive parents (Jor-El and Lara, Superman's parents) whose planet had been invaded by Morgana, the TTC's ever-elusive nemesis, who wants his blood to activate her newest weapon-the Doom Blaster! The TTC hear of her evil plan, and they go on a mission to stop her from achieving her wicked deed, meeting a new set of friends on the way-Rufus Dudley (legendary cop and PowerPaws' father) and Lisa's old friends Sam, Roxy, and Lucy.

Then, en route to Krypton, they get attacked by the Epsilons (space locusts), after which their vans crash onto a mysterious planet called Vulpes. There, they meet and befriend King Faolan, his servant Ardal, and the people of the village of Nuala. Brandy learns that she is the long-lost daughter of the king and hears that she was arranged to marry Alex II's cousin Derrick Armington. During the wedding feast, the TTC come upon Super Snooper's shady twin brother Cyrus, who challenges him to a drinking contest-Snooper, having qualms about his experience with alcoholic beverages, asks Bentley to compete in the contest in place of him. He wins, and soon a celebration follows (with amusing consequences involving the dandelion-grape wine).

Weeks later, the TTC vans are fixed and the Time Toon Cops prepare to leave. King Faolan gives the cops farewell gifts-for Rufus, the team's personal interpreter, he gives him the Six Gems of Olmec, a rare treasure from the ruins of Nickelodeon Studios. Bert gets a bag of moose jerky and apples to last the whole journey. And for Bentley, he is given the greatest gift of all-a collection of Garbage Pail Kids cards (what are they used for, anyway?). The departure from Vulpes brings an unlikely surprise: Vanessa's pregnant, and so are the other ladies of the teams!

After the group finishes explaining this odd situation, PowerPaws gathers the cops around and tells about her plan to reach Morgana's lair. She introduces the crew to K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries 2000, from "Knight Rider"), who takes her over to the lair, with them following behind. Meanwhile, Bentley receives a somber message from Alexandra Raccoon, Bert's long-deceased mother. She tells him that Jor-El and Lara have committed suicide after being forced to give away information about Kal-El's whereabouts, and that they have left a final message in a Holo-Telegram. He and Vanessa find it, and learn that due to the parents' death, Kal-El is declared an orphan.

The Time Toon Cops arrive at the glass lair, only to find out that PowerPaws is missing. They discover KITT, and learn that she has been caught and put in a dungeon-the worst part is that Morgana will feed her to the Epsilons at the Universe-Destroying Party on that very night! Their sudden encounter with one of Morgana's goons results in a battle with Superman and Superman II, while the TTC go off to free the Kryptonians. The job is done quickly, but the two Supermans are defeated. Finally, Cyrus comes to the rescue and brings the cops to safety. Inside the garage of the lair, he reveals to them that PowerPaws was his former girlfriend, and tells her about their short-term relationship and her recent relationship with KITT. They also learn from him that she had a daughter, a part-raccoon/part-car heroine named Luna. He becomes their new ally.

Just as PowerPaws is about to get eaten by the Epsilons, Luna comes to her aid, only to be caught and sent to the dungeon along with her. The TTC and their cartoon and Digimon allies bust in and start the battle. In the dungeon, PowerPaws talks with Luna and tells her about her strange origins (including the fact that she was conceived in a laboratory). The TTC find the mother-daughter duo and free them. Then, PowerPaws meets Cyrus, and the fur flies when they have an argument about their deteriorated courtship and Luna.

Bentley's team (the grown-up kids) tell the cops that they have a problem trying to get Cream back to the light side. Bentley remembers Alexandra's advice and gets blood samples from his relatives, and mixes them. The TTC go back to the throne room, and see that the battle with the Epsilons and Digimon villains is over, and Dark Cream is defeated. Bentley pours a little of the blood on her and she comes back to her normal senses. Now, Cream is finally free-but where's Morgana?

They find her on a platform, armed with a new weapon-the De-Maternalizer. Only Nose Marie, Bright Eyes, and Brandy are struck (Melissa's an exception, thanks to Ralph). Morgana sets her sights on Vanessa and prepares to shoot her, but Bentley blocks her. And who should also join in the mission are none other than...his parents, George and Nicole Raccoon! Morgana sees George and recognizes him as a former member of Rufus' International League of Futuristic Heroes. And of course, Matthew Roberts, Charles' long-dead brother, comes back seeking revenge for his unlawful death.

With their allies the Vulpians and the Kryptonians, the battle moves on, until the Epsilons are completely destroyed. Vanilla is freed from Morgana's control, and she sees her beautiful daughter again. But it's too late-the Doom Blaster had already started to launch (and even without Kal-El's blood)! Bentley gets the blood sample from his father and jams the mixture into the Doom Blaster before escaping. The TTC leave Krypton in a flash, before watching it explode, killing Jackson and eliminating Morgana.

The story ends with Kal-El being adopted by Bentley and Vanessa, and his name is changed to Clark (after Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity). Everything goes back to normal-Vanessa and Melissa have their babies, Matthew and Vanilla are engaged, and many more pregnancies are announced. And yes, PowerPaws and Cyrus are still arguing.

And now, in this holiday special, the Time Toon Cops deal with a new kind of threat: Robot Santa (from Futurama)! Enjoy the story!

* * *

Prologue: The Tale Begins

It was a lovely day up above in Heaven. Small puppies flew about, from one side to the other, exploring the vast terrain of their heavenly abode. And then there was Alexandra Raccoon, Bert's dead mother, sitting with the puppies and happily playing with them. Annabelle came over and said, "Good morning, Alexandra. Nice day, isn't it?"

"You bet it is," said Alexandra with a smile. "And those little rascals are getting friskier by the minute!"

"Well, they sure are. Oh, and do you know what today is?"

"What?"

"It's Christmas! The angels love Christmas!"

And indeed, it was. The puppies always looked forward to hearing Annabelle read them a Christmas story, especially the one with Charlie and Itchy's holiday adventures in trying to change Scarface's ways. But now it was time for Alexandra to tell a story of her own-the story of the Time Toon Cops and their quest to stop Robot Santa from wreaking havoc on Christmastime.

Alexandra said, "Would you like me to tell you a new Christmas story?"

"Oh, yes!" said one of the puppies. "Yes, Alexandra! Can you tell it to us? Please?"

"All right. Give me a moment."

She got up from her chair, went over to a large bookshelf (which appeared immediately), and picked out a red book. The title on the book said , "The Time Toon Cops: The Fight Before Christmas". Going back to the chair with it, Alexandra continued, "Here's a story I know you kids will love. It's about the world-famous Time Toon Cops and their quest to save the holidays from being ruined by a cruel machine known as Robot Santa."

"I thought Robot Santa was a good guy," said another puppy.

"He was, once," replied Alexandra. "But it was an error in the computer system that caused him to turn evil and declare all the people on Earth 'naughty'. Somebody else made this happen, but who? The TTC had to find out for themselves. And of course, one particular group managed to help save the day...Bentley Raccoon and his little family." She opened a book to show a picture of Bentley Raccoon, with his wife Vanessa, and their children Clark and Maeve. Alexandra continued, "Bentley and his friends wanted to keep this special occasion from disappearing off the calendars because of Robot Santa's bloody rampage. And even if they didn't..."

"Excuse me," said Annabelle. "But that story might contain material that isn't right for the little ones' ears."

Alexandra gave Annabelle a dirty look. She said curtly, "So? Even you'd bet that I'd admit to reading some racy Jane Austen novels to Bert when he was only two years old!" She turned to the puppies and continued sweetly, "Now, where were we? Oh, yes...and even if they didn't save the world, then all that we love and cherish would soon be gone. But in this story, it is the victors who do not fail to bring yuletide cheer to their latest mission. It all started on a lovely snowy day in Washington D.C., just several days away from Christmas..."


	2. Chapter 1: A New Threat

Chapter 1: A New Threat

December 20, 3011

In Washington D.C., in a secret lab owned by Professor Hackel II, two people entered into the building undetected-Jackson, the former sidekick of Morgana, and Belladonna, the evil demon dog. It was unclear how Jackson survived the explosion that annihilated his boss, but one thing's for sure, he's still immortal. When he came back to Earth, he met Belladonna and invited her to join him on his new plan-to ruin Christmas for everybody in the galaxy and avenge defeat by the Time Toon Cops. It was the one thing Belladonna wanted to do for years, even though her previous plan to ruin Christmas in San Francisco had failed. And so she accepted the request, much to the dismay of Dr. Hamsterviel and the evil clones of the TTC (or should we say ex-evil clones, since they were granted a pardon by President Bert Raccoon).

Soon, Carface and his sidekick Itchy joined in, and then came Belladonna's newly recruited Demon Dog. They came over to a glass tube and looked inside.

Jackson said, "There it is-Project Shadow Charles. He can help us use Chaos Control to head to Pluto and turn Robot Santa from good to evil. But right now, it needs a password."

"What's the password?" asked Belladonna.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Ah, yes-Maria! That's the password." He typed the word "Maria" into the computer and added a Yellow Chaos Emerald into the socket. The door of the tube opened, and Shadow Charles came out. He said in a creepy demonic voice, "You've released me from my nap. So now, I must serve you."

Showing him the Chaos Emeralds, Jackson said, "We got the Chaos Emeralds and we want you take us to Pluto, so we can ruin Christmas by turning Robot Santa into evil."

"Very well, then. CHAOS CONTROL!"

In a flash of fire, Shadow Charles, Jackson Roberts, Belladonna, Carface, Killer and Firedog disappeared, not before the alarm started going off.

MEANWHILE...

At the Barack Obama International Airport in Baltimore, a female Mixer stood on the sidewalk. She had light-brown fur, long orange hair, rabbit-like ears, and cinnamon-brown eyes. She wore a hot pink jacket, a white T-shirt (with a picture of a quetzal and a message saying "I'm Proud To Be Mayan!"), and stonewashed blue jeans. The young girl was Amberley Elizabeth Dudley, a young girl with the DNA of a fire-breathing serpent, a human Mayan princess, and that of her own father, Rufus Dudley of the International League of Futuristic Heroes.

She was outside carrying her bags when she met a young female cat coming out of a space taxi. The cat's name was Maria Hackel, the daughter of Professor Hackel. Upon seeing Amberley, she smiled and said, "Hey, there. My name's Maria Hackel. I'm just coming to D.C. to check on my father's project and my sleeping boyfriend Shadow Charles Roberts. What's yours?"

"Amberley Dudley," answered Amberley. She spoke in the exotic accent of an American teenager. "Daughter of Rufus Dudley. I'm going to D.C., too-I'll be spending Christmas with him there."

"Cool! Let's talk for a while."

Amberley and Maria got into the taxi while a male cat driver put the suitcases in the trunk and drove off. On the road, they continued the conversation. Maria said, "I heard you were the half-sister of PowerPaws. How did it feel like to be related to a famous person?"

"It was very fair," said Amberley. "In fact, we do get along just fine. I haven't seen her since she went on a field trip to this country a long time ago."

"Oh, now I see. Say, if we do have the time, would you like to go eat at Taco Bell, once we're there?"

Amberley flicked out her lizard-like tongue in delight. She said, "Jumping Cuauhtemoc! I _love_ eating at Taco Bell! Especially with the hot sauce!"

"I was going for Burger King at first," said Maria. "But since you're here with me, I decided that we should go to Taco Bell instead."

"What do you want to eat? I can order you a Beef Supreme taco. Or how about a bean burrito? I love that kind."

While the girls were chattering excitedly, cheerful holiday music played on the radio. Suddenly, a news broadcast interrupted the melody. A reporter said, "We interrupt this program to bring you shocking news-there's been a break-in at Hackel Laboratories last night, and the long-awaited project of Professor Hackel II has been declared missing. Although the authorities have yet to identify the perpetrators of the robbery, the descriptions of the suspects are almost perfectly clear, as confirmed by the presence of paw tracks and footprints on the lab floor. According to that evidence, the suspects happen to be comprised of a human male and six dogs. If you have any information regarding the break-in of the laboratory or you know who the suspects are, please contact the Time Toon Cops at..."

"What?" said Maria. She was shocked. "My father's lab was invaded?"

Amberley said, "That's what they said. And the worst part is that his project has been stolen. I don't know what those suspects want with Shadow Charles, but I'll bet they want him to do something awfully bad." She took a cell phone out of her purse. As she started to dial the number, she continued, "For me, when it comes to emergencies like this, it's best to alert the authorities in D.C. and tell them about the crime."

She waited for the dial tone to come in. A few seconds later, an operator's voice said, "I'm sorry, but the company you are trying to contact is unable to respond. Please try again when you have the connivance." Amberley dialed the number again, and heard the same message over and over. She muttered, "What's wrong with those crazy phones, anyway?"

"That's odd," said Maria. "The phones in this country usually connect people to anywhere in the world. But the phone number of the Time Toon Cops Headquarters is not working. Could there be a reason?"

"I don't know," said Amberley, as she put the phone back into her purse. "But whatever the problem is, it must've been a huge one."

A huge one indeed. In fact, it just so happens that before Jackson and his new crew left for Hackel Laboratories, they snuck into the Time Toon Cops Headquarters and cut off the phone line. Jackson snickered, "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they discover their emergency line cut off. That way, our victims won't be able to call the TTC anymore. They'll never see it coming." And they walked away laughing.


	3. Chapter 2: The Christmas Party

Chapter 2: The Christmas Party

The Time Toon Cops, unaware of the new threat to Canerica and their own unusual predicament, were having a splendid Christmas of their own. President Bert Raccoon had invited them and their families to a big Christmas party at the White House. He was very pleased that his sons and their wives had chosen to adopt children. Now he had two grandsons-Percy Raccoon, the child of Bert Jr. and Nose Marie, and Harrison Raccoon, the child of Rocky and Bright Eyes.

The members of the TTC also had families of their own. There was Alexander Armington II, with his wife Fifi La Fume-Armington and his new son Randall. Randall was a cross between a squirrel and a skunk, with purple-and-brown fur and blue eyes. His brother Sky was also there, with his wife Dot and his daughter Diana. And there were other couples and their children: Alex III and Marina with Maureen (a fox cub with a squirrel-like tail), Razor and Tammy with Royce and Joyce (two little grey squirrels), and Ace and Lisa with Milhouse (a human/squirrel Mixer).

Charles and Bunnie Roberts were there, with their two children-their three-year-old son Eric and their infant daughter April. Bunnie said, "It was very nice of Bert to invite us to the White House for the party. He says it's going to be the best Christmas party in the world."

"True," replied Charles. "And Blaze and Lisa are over there serving eggnog."

Super Snooper and Selena had come to the party, too. With them were the four kittens, over a year old-Selma, Lorna, Daisy, and Sly. Snooper said to the kids, "Now, remember-when he gives each of you a present, what do you say to him?"

"Thank you, Uncle Bert," the kittens said in unison.

Sly complained, "Aw, come on! When do I get any toys? WHEN?"

"As soon as you can, Sly," said Selena sternly. "And if you keep it up, you won't get any."

At hearing that, Sly grumbled and pouted. He muttered, "Some Christmas..."

Matthew and Vanilla Roberts, with their daughter Cream, were there at the party. With them was their son Mark and their granddaughter Nancy. And there was Derrick and Brandy Armington-Harrington, with a human baby they had adopted from an orphanage in Tennessee. The boy's name was Derrick Armington-Harrington Jr. (after his dad, of course!).

And there were other people as well. Ralph Raccoon, one of Bert's closest friends and vice-president, was sitting with his wife Melissa. In her arms was their beautiful baby daughter, Carina. The one thing different about them is that they were wearing the clothes they had worn when they first appeared on "The Christmas Raccoons"-Ralph was wearing a red scarf instead of the usual white one, and Melissa was wearing a pink sweater with a matching snow cap. Ralph said, "How long has it been since we started wearing these old clothes? They bring back so many memories..."

"Yes, Ralph," said Melissa. "They looked a little yellowed when we found them in our attic, but they still fit us just the same. I wonder if our kids are enjoying the party as well."

Unfortunately, it looked like their children (except Carina) weren't in the mood for some yuletide spirit. Eight-year-old Dolly Raccoon yelled, "Mommy! Daddy! Morris bit my tail!"

Ralph groaned and got up to investigate. And there it was-sitting there, clamped onto Dolly's tail with his teeth, was three-year-old Morris Raccoon. Ralph said, "Morris, what are you doing?"

"I'm teething, Pop," murmured Morris through a mouthful of fur. Ralph released the tail from his grip and said, "You know very full well it's not nice to bite your sister's tail like that. And I thought you got off your teething stage a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," said Morris. "I couldn't stop."

"There's got to be a way to make you stop."

"But how? I can think of nothing but chewing on stuff."

Ralph groaned again. It was going to be a long day. Meanwhile, Fox and Krystal were sitting in the other side of the room. And sitting on the floor was their daughter Alice, now two years old, playing with blocks. President Raccoon's children were also there: five-year-old Charlie, three-year-old Arthur, and two-year-old Lucille. Charlie said to Bert, "Dad, do you really think there is such a thing as Santa Claus?"

"Why, yes, Charlie," replied Bert. "There _is_ Santa Claus. But the only thing different about good old St. Nick is that he's also a robot."

Charlie looked at him, his eyes widened in wonder. He said, "Santa...is a robot?"

"You bet he is. He was built by scientists a long time ago, when the old Santa decided to retire. He thought his new replacement would give the whole world a cup of cheer, as the old holiday song goes. But then, a mysterious computing error caused Robot Santa to go from 'Jolly Mode' to 'Wicked Mode'. That way, he declared all his long-time international recipients...naughty. And so, he came to Earth every Christmas Eve, bringing wrath and destruction in place of presents. Nobody dared to go out on that fateful day, until I found a way to put a stop to the nonsense. How? By flicking the switch back to 'Good' and turning Robot Santa into the jolly old soul that he used to be when he was first constructed. And to make sure that it won't happen again, I placed an error-proof microchip inside his back. And ever since that time, everybody was happy that he was back to his normal self."

The thought at Robot Santa being evil made Charlie and his siblings whimper. Bert noticed this and said, "Hey, don't worry. Robot Santa's not going to kill you, and he's not going to fill your stockings with coal either. He thinks that of all the kids in this world, you're the good ones."

"Thanks, Dad," said Charlie, smiling. "I know he won't."

And finally, who else should show up to the party was Bentley Raccoon, the famous actor/Time Toon Cop. He even brought his family along-his wife Vanessa Raccoon, his children Clark and Maeve Raccoon, and his parents George and Nicole. Bentley said, "Hi, Bert. It's nice to see you again. Did you know my new movie is going to come out next week?"

"What is it?" asked Bert.

"It's called 'Agent R and the Case of the Thieving Elves'. It's a holiday special."

"Oh, good. We'll go see it when it starts."

The Time Toon Cops were not the only ones invited to the occasion. There was King Faolan, ruler of Planet Vulpes, and Rufus Dudley, the ex-officer of the International League of Futuristic Heroes (now the interpreter for the TTC). Soon, everybody gathered around for a holiday feast. Bert said, "I'm so glad all of you guys are here. And so are your wives and kids, too-what a king-sized family reunion this will be. And now, before we get to chowing down, here's Father El-Gamal to lead us into prayer."

Father El-Gamal, the priest of the First Amalgamated Church, nodded and said, "Let us say Grace, please..."

Everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes. The whole dining room went completely quiet. Quiet as a mouse. Then...

"OW! My leg! You're gonna pay dearly for this, you..."

"Oh, buzz off! Why don't you go away and read some Playboy magazines?"

"I'm no Playboy, but I do know that you're going out with KITT again."

"And I'm still with him to this day! Can't you even see?"

"Well, all I see is that you're having another baby! I knew it! I _knew_ it!"

The silent prayer was interrupted by a pair of quarreling voices outside. Snooper said, "What's going on?"

Rufus sighed and said, "It's PowerPaws and Cyrus again. It seems their relationship has been getting a whole lot worse than it was last year."

Bert got up and went to the front door. He opened it and let the two inside. PowerPaws was pregnant, only nine months along. A year earlier, she and Cyrus got back together and proceeded into a courtship that lasted nearly nine months. But then, they started arguing again, because of a rumor that PowerPaws was back dating KITT. And Cyrus wasn't even sure if the baby she was carrying was his!

Following behind them was her eldest daughter, Luna Dudley. She said, "I guess Mom isn't willing to get along with Cyrus very well. I thought they were going to be together for all eternity, until that nasty hearsay started."

"Who you think started the rumor, Luna?" asked Bert, as he led her to the dining room.

"Did you ever hear of that new gossip website, Grapevine? Somebody created it to spread rumors about every single person in Canerica. It could even create rumors about our teams, too, if we're not careful."

"Ooh, that's terrible. Maybe I should watch myself whenever I'm online."

"I hope Mom decides to return to Cyrus real soon. If she doesn't, this will be the worst Christmas I've ever had. The only Christmas present I've always wanted was a father."

"You already have a father, Luna, and that father is KITT."

"I wouldn't count on it. With Mom expecting a new kid, there's no telling whether it was Dad's or Cyrus'."

"We'll have to find out when it comes."

Bert went back to his seat and said, "Sorry for the delay, folks. Got a little problem with the couple here. Anyway..." He continued happily, "Let's all wish that this will be the greatest Christmas in the history of the United States of Canerica. With this in mind, I say, 'Merry Christmas' to all of you. And to the Vulpians who are here with us today, 'Falla Miha'-that's Reynardian for 'Merry Christmas', too. Cheers!"

They clanked their glass mugs together and shouted, "Cheers!"

Everybody cheered and started eating their fancy Christmas dinner. But no sooner than they've done this that Cedric Sneer, the Secretary of State, came rushing in. He shouted, "Bert! Stop the festivities! I have some really bad news!"

Bert, who was munching on a turkey leg, said, "Bad news? But Cedric, it's Christmas! We're taking a break right now."

"The break's over," said Cedric. "Because something terrible has happened. There's been a break-in at Hackel Laboratories, and something has been stolen from there."

"What was it?"

"It's Professor Hackel II's most prized possession-his project, Shadow Charles!"

Everyone gasped in horror. Mr. Jinks said, "Could it really be _that_ bad?"

Cedric replied, "When the police checked out the crime scene, they found paw prints and human footprints all over the floor, leading up to the glass tube where Shadow Charles was held. It was not known who the burglars are, but the footprints were the only evidence they had left behind."

He showed them a picture of the crime scene at the lab. PowerPaws sensed something suspicious. She said, "Hand me that photo." Cedric gave the photo to her and she started scrutinizing every detail. Then, after taking one closer look, she said, "Hmmm...those footprints look very familiar. It appears that these set of footprints belong to somebody we know."

"And who could that be?" asked Bright Eyes. "We know it's not bad old Jackson Roberts. Or is it?"

"That's him, all right-Jackson has returned. And he's got six new friends with him, all of them dogs."

Bert said, "Six dogs? Who do you think they are?"

PowerPaws replied, "Belladonna, Carface Caruthers, Killer, Firedog, Itchy-"

"Me?" asked Itchy.

"No-the other 'Itchy'. And there's that new dog in the group...a Demon Dog."

James said, "How can you tell?"

"By the size of those paw tracks. With claws dug in the ground, of course."

"That's strange," said Bentley. "We beat Morgana last year, and now her sidekick comes back to exact his revenge? We thought he was dead for good."

"He's immortal," said PowerPaws. "Immortal villains like him would do anything to come back to battle the same enemies. That's means us."

Bert groaned. For the first time in his years as president of Canerica, Christmas was going to be ruined. He said, "Well, he's spoiled my party and our break. Now what are we going to do?"

"We got to go investigate," said Alex II. "Maybe we'll figure out where the thieves have hidden the project."

Cedric said, "But there's good news, particularly for PowerPaws-Ms. Amberley Dudley, a young Mixer from New York City, has come for a visit."

PowerPaws nearly jumped at the announcement. She said, "Hey! That's my half-sister!"

"Yes," continued Cedric. "And she came down here to spend Christmas with you and your father. She even brought a friend along."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her and her new friend!"

Rufus smiled. He said, "Amberley's a Mixer. And what a Mixer that she is-she's a superhero."

"If she is a superhero," asked Blaze. "What is her nickname, then?"

"She has a very beautiful nickname-Xochitl. It's Nahuatl for 'flower', and I chose it for a very good reason."

"Are we going to meet her?"

"We will. Perhaps she can assist us on this new mission we're in."

Everybody agreed and they all stood up from the table. Alex II shouted, "Time Toon Cops, let's move out...again!"

"ALL RIGHT!"

And they all left the White House, on their way to Hackel Laboratories.


	4. Chapter 3: Robot Santa Becomes Evil

Chapter 3: Robot Santa Becomes Evil

On the plant Neptune, the Neptunian elves were making toys in Santa's Workshop. But then, something happened. Shadow Charles, Jackson, Belladonna, Carface, Killer and Demon Dog came in and blasted the buldings as the Neptunians ran away and tried to hide from the invaders. Two of Santa's reindeer, Rudolph and Zoey (his cousin), were there-they had come to check on Robot Santa.

When they saw what had happened, they were in shock. Rudolph said, "Jackson Roberts! You're alive! We thought you died in Krypton!"

"That's a stupid question," answered Jackson. Pulling out a tube full of black liquid, he continued, "You can't kill an immortal-you can only slice the head. For now, I'm going to make you two work for me."

He threw the dark liquid at them. The liquid seeped into their skins as they started screaming. Then, after what seems like several seconds, they turned into Dark Reindeer, with glowing red eyes. They bowed down and said in a monotonic voice, "Yes, Master...we will obey you."

"Good," said Jackson. "Now, where is Robot Santa?"

"RIGHT HERE!"

They turned around and saw Robot Santa with his AK-47 gun. He boomed, "Let my reindeer go! If you don't, I'll put you all on the 'Naughty' list!"

Jackson laughed and said, "Oh, yeah? Who's gonna stop us, now that your reindeer are under my control?" He turned to Shadow Charles and commanded, "Knock him out so we can reprogram him."

Shadow Charles pulled out his Time Freeze ray and shot it at Robot Santa, who then stood still. Jackson ran behind him, opened the lid on his back, and found a small microchip. He pulled it out and put it in his pocket, before replacing it with a new one. Once the Time Freeze died down, Robot Santa became Evil. He turned to Jackson and said, "I am at your service, Jackson."

Jackson said, "I want you to go to Washington D.C., and terrorize everyone in town, so they will get a Christmas they will never forget! HA-HA-HA!"

Robot Santa nodded, called in his robotic reindeer, and got on his sleigh to head on over to Earth. Then, Jackson and his crew were gone. The Neptunians were still terrified, but then they decided to call the TTC and warn them. But there was no answer. One of the Neptunians, named Mack, said, "That's odd. These phones actually work whenever we try to contact the cops. What in the world just happened?"

"Beats me," said Zack, his twin brother. "But anyway, we'll have to go to their station to warn them."

"You're right. Let's go-we'll get there first in my Fast Car."

They jumped into their Fast Car and blasted off to Washington D.C. to warn the TTC.

Back on Earth, the TTC were on their way to Hackel Laboratories. Something dawned on PowerPaws' mind that Cedric must've received the news from a phone call. She asked, "Did anybody call you to tell you about the disaster?"

"No," replied Cedric. "But I heard it on the radio, and the photograph was cut out of today's newspaper."

"Any particular reason?"

Suddenly, the vans stopped. Looking outside, Lisa said, "I think I know one..."

The cops came out of the vans and went to the back of the Time Toon Cops Headquarters. All they found was a phone cord cut up in half and a satellite dish. Babs said, "It looks like the phone cord was cut off. No wonder the authorities were unable to contact us!"

"And there goes the satellite dish," said Ralph. "They haven't contacted us by that method, either."

PowerPaws said, "I've got a hunch that Jackson might be up to something really evil. And a prominent sign of this is cutting off contact between the public and their heroes."

"If that happens," said Snooper. "Then there's no telling when the crime has been committed."

"It did happen last night."

They continued on their way to Hackel Laboratories and entered the building to investigate. PowerPaws said, "There's the glass tube, all right. But Shadow Charles is missing."

"Just like in the news!" said Bright Eyes.

Selena went over to the tube and found a piece of paper taped to it. She said, "Look...a note." She took the note and read it. It said:

_Dear Time Toon Jerks,_

_Remember me? It's your old enemy, Jackson Roberts. You might've gotten rid of Morgana on Krypton, but you didn't get rid of me. Why? I'm immortal, that's why. Now I'm with a new group of friends, and we just entered this lab to steal Professor Hackel's project, Shadow Charles. But before we did that, we came over to your building and snipped off the phone lines. That way, the helpless victims won't be able to call you or even come in contact with you, even if it's an emergency. How's that for revenge? Meet me on Neptune, the battleground for our next encounter. But it's going to be a long time before you can reach Santa's Workshop. First, you'll have to go through a series of obstacles and a passel of riddles to get to me. Maybe that'd slow you down. So long, suckers!_

_Yours rottenly,_

_Jackson Roberts_

_P.S. And for that smelly cat Snooper, if he's reading this, tell him that if he comes too close to rescuing the Neptunians, he's going to kiss his mommy goodbye!_

"Well, well," said Cyrus. "The written confession of the crime. What kind of villain would be dumb enough to do that?"

Selena said, "And in here, he's challenging us to a battle on Neptune. But we'd have to get through so many obstacles on the planet, and if that's not hard enough, he's going to give us some clues to guide us to Santa's Workshop."

"That's very easy," said Snooper. "It's just like a treasure hunt. Trust me-I was with Yogi Bear and his crew on such an adventure."

"It could be," said Selena. "But-" She looked at the note one more time and frowned. She continued, "Snoop, I think he also mentioned something about your mother."

"What about my...huh?"

"In here, he says that if you interfere with his plans, he's going to kill her."

At hearing this, Snooper stood still. He didn't say a word. All his life, he never told anybody about his past. Nor did he tell them about his happy childhood or the tragedy that struck during that time. Alex II waved a hand in front of his face, saying, "Hello? Snooper?"

Snooper didn't listen. Soon enough, memories of his "dear old mother" began to flash through his brain.


	5. Chapter 4: Recalling Mom

Chapter 4: Recalling Mom

"What's the matter, Snooper?" asked Amy. "Is there something wrong?"

Finally, Snooper decided to answer. He said sadly, "My mother..."

"You never mentioned your mom before?" said Alex II. "What did she look like?"

Snooper replied, "My mother was one of the greatest women in history. She was a cat of many talents. In those days, there wasn't such a thing as feline private-eyes, but she went to the most extremes to prove them wrong."

The TTC stared at Snooper in surprise. Ralph said, "Where did she come from?"

"She came from the countryside far, far away," said Snooper. "Long ago, my mother was a beautiful young cat. She was the 10-time Mouse-Hunting Contest winner in Omaha, Nebraska. And during that time, she fell in love with my father."

"Your father?"

"Yes. And like me, he was a detective, from the big city."

"Country cat meets city cat, huh?"

"They were married shortly after their meeting, and they both moved to New York-I was born there, the last of a litter of seven, a lucky number indeed. They did all they can to raise me and my siblings in a loving atmosphere in a cruel world. I loved my father as much as my mother-he was the one who taught me everything that I knew about being a detective."

"Wow!" said Bright Eyes. "He must've been real nice."

Snooper continued sadly, "When I was only eight, my father went missing-the people thought he was dead. My mother, a widow, was forced to raise us on her own. However, she gave up, and sent all the kittens away and kept me. I was lonely without my brothers and sisters, but yet I had my mother with me, and I wasn't lonely any more. Finally, when I was eighteen, I was ready to leave for college. I said goodbye to my mother, and vowed that at any time she was in trouble, I'd come around and protect her in any way I can. For that reason, instead of college, I went to a private-eye school."

Bert asked, "And that's how you became a detective?"

Snooper nodded and said, "Yes. But we're still close, even if we're miles apart."

"Are you shocked that Jackson is going to kidnap her?"

"Not at the least. I'll have to warn her about this."

He took out his cell phone and began calling his mother. But there was no answer. Hanging up, Snooper, "Well, he could've probably cut off the phone line to my mother's house, too. At least my Verizon Wireless cell is still in good condition."

Then, Vanessa shouted, "Guys! Come have a look!"

The cops went over to a corner. The TV was on and there was breaking news. Kent Brockman, the reporter, said, "This just in-Shadow Charles kidnapped Super Snooper's mother, Mrs. Holly Snooper, from her apartment in Manhattan today. The local police tried to stop him, but he had already disappeared. Why will Shadow Charles do this? WHY? More information coming up on CBS News at 8."

The TTC were greatly shocked. Alex II said, "Great. We're too late."

"Guys," said Charles. "I have something to tell you. Shadow Charles is my equal. Long ago, I told Professor Hackel that I want to make a prototype to help the Swat Kats defend Megakat City if they're retired, so that's when Project Shadow Charles comes in. They took my blood and mixed it with another blood from a cat to make the ultimate weapon, and he made him by the times past since I was frozen. I didn't know it until now. Professor Hackel had a son named Professor Hackel II, with his daughter Maria Hackel. She loved Shadow Charles, and so does he. Now I figure my no-good brother is using him, too. They used your DNA into him to use the Chaos Emeralds."

Bert said, "So, that's why Shadow Charles looks like you, with the same eyes, but a different body!"

Just then, Shadow Charles came from out of nowhere and said with an evil grin, "Well, Faker. Glad you told about us?"

The TTC were startled at his sudden appearance. Brandy said, "Hey! How did you get in?"

Shadow Charles said, "With these babies-the Chaos Emeralds." In his hand was a Red Chaos Emerald. They were shocked.

"THE CHAOS EMERALDS!" said Tails.

"So, that's how he did that," said Shadow. "You're the alternate version of me, too."

Shadow Charles just grinned and said, "Ah, two Fakers-Charles and Shadow. And you, too, PowerPaws. This is a sample of what you'll be facing!" Then he did a Chaos Spears at Charles, Shadow and PowerPaws. They dodged it, but it sent them hurling over to the wall. Bunnie, Luna and Sally Acorn helped them up. Sonic said, "That's a dirty trick!"

"Oh, and by the way," continued Shadow Charles. "Rudolph and his girl Zoey are helping us, so they'll be fighting you, too." He turned to Snooper and said, "And Snooper, don't try to get too close to the mission or your mother will meet her untimely end. But right now, Jackson is having fun with her and you all know what I mean."

"What have you done with her?" Snooper demanded angrily.

Shadow Charles produced a large mirror ball of light. In an instant, Snooper heard a voice he recognized: "Delbert! Delbert!"

It was his mother, Holly Snooper, locked in a cage guarded by two Neptunians, who've been previously soaked in dark liquid and made evil. Snooper cried out, "Mother!"

"Delbert," said Holly. "That cruel young man has snatched me away from my apartment in New York, and brought me over to this terrible place. I thought this was supposed to be the most peaceful Christmas of my lifetime! I never expected _that_ to happen to me!"

"But are you all right?"

"I'm fine, son. So long as those seemingly adorable elves don't kill me with those...those...things!"

"They're laser swords, Mother. If you touch them, they'll cut your fingers off. Or even worse..."

"What's far more worse than being killed before I'd even get my retirement savings fund? Please, Delbert, you've got to rescue me. Rescue me before it's too late! He's going to-"

Suddenly, another voice came in: "Shut up, Mrs. Snooper, or I'll have one of the elves to cut your tongue off, too!" That voice belonged to Jackson, who was nearby. Admonished, Holly hung her head, and whispered, "Please...hurry..." The image from the mirror ball faded away and the ball disappeared into thin air.

Snooper said angrily to Shadow Charles, "This is an outrageous outrage! If you as much as kill my mother or harm her in any way, I'm coming up there to kick your butt!"

"And what are you going to do about that?" said Shadow Charles. With an evil smile, he took out two wooden canes and threw them on the floor, in which they immediately turned into large poisonous snakes. He continued, "If you want to set your mom free, you'll have to get through these guys first. Good luck, Super Stinker! CHAOS CONTROL!" Then Shadow CHarles disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the TTC to deal with the snakes.

"Now, what are we going to do?" said James, backing away. "If those snakes bite us, we're gone for good!"

Alex II said, "We'll have to avoid them in any way we can. We've got to stay still, and no matter what happens, don't move."

And so the TTC froze. The snakes slithered up to the team, looking at them. When they came up to Snooper, they stared intently into his frightened black eyes. The staring contest ended when a trickle of sweat poured into his eyes, and he blinked. The snakes hissed and prepared to strike. Selena cried, "Snooper! LOOK OUT!"

Snooper cowered down on the ground and waited for something to happen. All of a sudden, a young female voice cried out, "Hold it right there, you snaky snakes!"

The TTC turned and saw Amberley at the entrance of the lab. She shouted bravely, "Leave that cat alone!"

The snakes hissed angrily and headed for Amberley. She jumped up and grabbed a pipeline to avoid the nasty serpents, and when they turned around and lunged for her, she let go and fell on them. The snakes were squished, but still they didn't give up. They squirmed from under her and hissed. Amberley groaned and muttered to herself in an ancient Mayan tongue, before continuing to fight the snakes. Using her ultimate kung fu moves, she attacked and parried the snakes, avoiding their every blow. Then, one of the snakes lunged at her and sunk its fangs into her arm. The TTC gasped in horror.

Fortunately, the poison didn't kill her when it seeped into her bloodstream-this showed that she was immune to such things. Fuming with rising anger, she took a deep breath and blew a large puff of flame at the snake, stunning it. She said to the cops, "Close your ears." They did so. Then, she took another deep breath, and screamed at the snakes. The wind emanated from the noise and blew the snakes away. Deciding not to take any chances against the young opponent, the snakes hissed weakly and slithered away fast. The TTC cheered.

"That was some battle you've fought, young lady," said Bert excitedly. "You saved our lives!"

"Yeah," said Bentley. "But, uh...who are you?"

Amberley chuckled and said, "Oh, you really want to know who I am, huh? The name's Amberley Elizabeth Dudley, daughter of Rufus Dudley of the International League of Futuristic Heroes. You may also know me by another name..." Then, she began speaking her other full given name rapidly in the Mayan vernacular, which the team wasn't able to comprehend. Puzzled, Charles asked, "What does _that_ mean?"

"In my people's language," said Amberley. "It means, 'She plays among the flowers of the jungle.' Or you can just call me 'Xochitl'."

The TTC looked at her in awe. Bert said, "You're...Xochitl?"

"That's right."

"Hey," said Tails. "You're that girl Cedric told us about! Are you here to help us?"

"You bet I will."

Rufus went over to Amberley and gave her a hug. He said happily, "Oh, my beautiful, most precious daughter! I'm sorry I've ever lost you for so long!"

"Thank you, Daddy," said Amberley. "And I'm so glad I finally saw you." To PowerPaws, she said, "And you, too, Eugenia. Boy, you've surely put on some more weight today. The last time I saw you, you were as thin as a bamboo shoot."

"Amber, I'm not fat," said PowerPaws. "I'm pregnant. The doctor told me that I'll be due to give birth in any moment now."

"Really? Who's the lucky father?"

Cyrus was about to say "KITT", but PowerPaws clamped her paw over his mouth. She said nervously, "That's up to you to find out."

"Okay," said Amberley. "Here's how it'll go down. Shadow Charles kidnapped Mrs. Snooper-that's Snooper's mom-and brought her to Jackson's hideout on Neptune. And Jackson has reprogrammed Robot Santa's computer data by inserting an evil microchip in place of the good one, so that he'll classify all innocent people as 'naughty' and destroy Washington D.C.-we're not going to let him get away with this, do we?"

"No!" said the toons in unison.

Amberley continued, "That's right. But I'll have to warn you that our latest mission, of which I'll join in, might be terribly dangerous for the little ones. So, here's my plan-the adults will come with me. The rest will stay behind and watch the kids."

"And who will do that?" asked Bentley sarcastically. "Me?" He remembered the last time he had to go through babysitting the kids while the TTC were on a mission, and that was not very long ago.

"No, Bentley, that's not going to be you. For now, Nicole Raccoon, Vanilla Roberts, and Cream will do it. And Eugenia-"

"Yes?"

"You'll have to stay home, too. You can't go on a hazardous mission in such a condition. But I'll make sure the team will get in contact with you by using portable video walkie-talkies."

"Okay...if you say so."

Amberley nodded, before saying, "All right, Time Toon Cops. Shadow Charles has left behind another note, with riddles written all over it. Here's the first one..."

_Red and white and in a swirl,  
Shaped like a shepherd's stand,  
You'll find this delicious holiday treat  
In a snowy and distant land_

"It's a candy cane!" said Bentley. "That's the answer to the first clue!"

"You're right, Bentley," said Amberley. "But in here, it says that we'll have to find the named item in someplace where there's lots of snow."

"Tibet?"

"No. We'll have to take an entire planetary journey to find a very snowy place. Let's move out!"

And so, the Time Toon Cops (and Amberley) left the laboratory. When they got outside, a Fast Car arrived and two Neptunian elves came out to tell the TTC something. Then, in a flash, they were gone. The only ones left behind were Nicole, Vanilla, Cream, PowerPaws, and the kids. Clark looked up at Nicole and said, "Gramma, what are we gonna do?"

"We'll wait," answered Nicole. "Until they return."


	6. Chapter 5: North Pole Nellie

Chapter 5: North Pole Nellie

In a large spaceship called TTC Enterprise, the Time Toon Cops were in outer space, looking for a "snowy and distant land". There were many other planets that fit the description, but none of them possessed a candy cane or any hint of it. Luna said, "We've searched every possible planet we could find, but there's not one in the galaxy that has a candy cane or even claims to have one."

"Just keep looking," said Amberley, now known as Xochitl. "It's bound to show up in here somewhere."

Then, Charles said, "Why not Earth?"

"What are you talking about, Charles," said Sonic. "We just came from there."

"Because I know a place where there's lots of snow."

"And what would that be?"

"The North Pole."

The TTC gave Charles a surprised and puzzled look. He continued, "In the riddle, it says the candy cane is red and white all over, and it's shaped like an old shepherd's staff. The North Pole has one-a tall monument made out of a real candy cane."

"You're right, Charles," said Bert. "The North Pole is snowy and distant. Let's head back to Earth."

The spaceship went back to Earth and arrived at the North Pole, where the TTC proceeded to scout the area. Finally, Bright Eyes shouted excitedly, "There it is! There it is!"

She was pointing to a large tall stick in the distance, with red and white stripes all over from the top to the bottom. Alex II said, "We've found the Candy Cane. Get out your chainsaws, team-we're about to cut this little baby down."

They headed towards the pole, but Snooper stopped them. He said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"What do you mean by that, Snoop?" asked Derrick.

"You can't take that monument down," answered Snooper, looking around nervously. "It's guarded by someone."

"Really? Who?"

"One of my sisters."

The team looked at Snooper in surprise. Lisa said, "What do you know about your sister?"

"Her name is Helen Snooper. In here, she's also known as 'North Pole Nellie'. She's the guardian of the Candy Cane."

"You told us that your mother..."

"Like I said, she gave them away," said Snooper. "They were placed in different areas of the world. My sister was raised by a family of polar bears, and from them she learned the ways of the Arctic creatures. The Candy Cane, which was believed to be sent to the North Pole by the queen of the Sugar Plum Fairies, was deemed sacred by all the animals and birds of the land, and her mother appointed her to protect it. Any person who dares to snatch it away from this place will regret that action-she knows a lot of kung fu, too."

"So, you're telling us," said Bert. "That we can't take the Candy Cane? How are we going to solve the riddle?"

Snooper shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I'm not sure, at the least. I haven't seen Helen since our separation. In fact, I don't think she'd be ready for an early family reunion..."

However, Bentley didn't take heed to Snooper's warning-he was already at the base of the Candy Cane. He didn't even notice a female cat in a sealskin coat, slumped against the pole, snoring heavily. He said, "One sharp cut and it's 'Timber!' to that old landmark!"

"Bentley, no!" shouted Snooper. "Don't cut the Candy Cane down! You'll wake her up!"

Revving up his chainsaw, Bentley answered, "Be quiet, Snoop. Can't you see I'm-"

Before he could start cutting, he heard the cat's snoring stop. The cat woke up at once, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and moaned, "Ooh...how long have I been asleep?"

Bentley looked at the cat and realized that he was in trouble. He muttered, "Uh-oh..."

Snooper shouted, "Run, Bentley! RUN!"

The cat stood up, turned around, and spotted Bentley tiptoeing away. She scowled and shouted angrily, "Hey! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"Uh," said Bentley, startled. "I was just-uh...I was..."

"You're not going to steal the Candy Cane, are you?"

"Oh, no, of course not. I mean, I-I-I..."

The cat growled. She said, "Back off, buster, or I'll give you such a ripping that your body parts will have to go home in UPS packages!"

Bentley tried to run away, but the cat grabbed him by the edge of his parka coat. She pulled her towards him and roared loudly, right in front of his face. Bentley wrinkled up his bent nose-her breath smelled of fish and dead seals. The TTC ran over to try to help him.

"Stay still!" shouted Alex II, loading up his laser gun. "We're gonna take that beast down!"

They started shooting at her. The cat, outraged at being attacked, ran towards the team, growling ferociously. She came upon Lisa, and pushed her down to the ground. Bert shouted, "Lisa!"

"Bert!" cried Lisa. The cat had jumped on her, preparing to scratch her face off. "Help! She's going to kill me!"

Bert ran over to Lisa's side and tried to pry the rogue feline from her. The cat lunged straight at him and they both tumbled down the hill. The cat scratched and bit Bert in various spots of his body-his ears, his neck, his arms, his nose, and his tail. Bert pushed the cat away from him, and ran off. The cat growled, "You're not getting away from me this time, you...you thieves!"

The TTC prepared to shoot again, but their laser guns had already ran out of ammo. Xochitl took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire at the cat, but the cat dodged it. With their weapons useless, the team felt that they were outnumbered. The cat marched towards them, baring her teeth in anger. When she got to Snooper, she growled and prepared to strike him with her paw. The TTC watched in horror, but to their surprise the cat didn't hit Snooper. Instead, she took one closer look at him and gasped in shock. She muttered, "...Delbert?"

Snooper opened his eyes and looked at the cat. He said, "Helen?"

The two cats looked at each other for some time. Then, the female cat squealed happily and gave Snooper a big hug. She shouted, "Oh, Delbert! It's you! I thought I'd never see you again after all those years!"

"And I thought I'd never see you, either!" said Snooper, smiling. "Where have you been?"

"Why, here, of course!"

Alex II said, "What's going on?"

"Guys," said Snooper, introducing the cat. "This is my sister, Helen. She was that person I was telling you about, before Bentley disturbed her slumber."

"You can call me 'Nellie', if you want to," said the female cat with a wink.

Alex II said, "Well, can you ask her if we can borrow that large Candy Cane?"

The cat, named Nellie, laughed and said, "Who cares? You can have the whole thing. It was starting to get old, anyway."

Soon, the TTC were at work cutting down the famous landmark. It was during that time that Nellie started telling them the story of her life. She said, "When I was just a kitten-like, eight, I think-Daddy went missing and nobody knew where he had gone to. Mom couldn't afford to raise all of us, so she dropped us off in many places all over the world, except Delbert. She left me in the North Pole, where I've lived all my life." She sighed at the recollection of her past and continued, "I remember being so small and so scrawny. I was only skin and bones, and there was not a single foodstuff to nourish me, let alone ice and snow. But then, I was discovered by a huge polar bear. She took me to her home in the den, and brought me up along with her two bear cubs. Being warm-blooded, I didn't like being cramped up inside a small cold hole, but soon enough I started to get used to it. My new mom took very good care of me-I was assured plenty of protection from predators and I was fed on nothing but fish and seals. Years slowly rushed by, and before long I had become a fully grown polar bear myself."

"But aren't you aware that you're a cat?" asked Snooper.

Nellie replied, "Of course not."

"You've spent a long time among the polar bears. If you learned their language and their customs, how did you learn to speak English?"

"I picked it up from human explorers passing through that area."

"And now that I've found you, are you sure you want to go back home?"

"I could, if I try. But I don't see any boat coming around the Arctic coastline or an airplane hovering above me."

"Well, you're in luck-my friends and I have a spaceship. Once we're done with our mission, we can be able to take you home."

Nellie smiled. She said, "Really? You would?"

Snooper nodded. Alex II came over and said, "The reason why we wanted the Candy Cane in the first place is that we have to solve the first riddle Shadow Charles sent to us."

"Shadow Charles?" asked Nellie. "Who is he?"

"We'll tell you about him later," replied Alex II. "In the meantime, we've got to get on with our mission."

In a few minutes time, the Candy Cane was cut down and brought into the spaceship. As it left the North Pole, the TTC told Nellie about Jackson's wicked plan to destroy Christmas. Bert said, "And worst of all, she's kidnapped your mother!"

"My mom?"

"Yeah," said Snooper. "Yours and mine. She's being held at Neptune."

Nellie frowned. Clinching her fists, she said, "That vile Jackson Roberts has gone way too far by taking away my birth mom! I'm going to make him sorry he was ever born!"

"Wait until we get there, Nellie," said Rufus. He was holding a new set of clothes that Nellie was to wear-a white mackintosh trench coat with a blue deerstalker cap (and a pink bow on it). He gave them to her and said, "From now on, you're part of our team. Welcome aboard, Nellie Snooper."

Nellie put on the new clothes and looked over herself. She smiled and said, "A cool way to be shanghaied, that's for sure."

Xochitl said, "All right. Listen up, you guys! We're done with the first riddle. Here's the next one..."

_Way up north where the pine trees grow,  
A state full of wilderness left long ago,  
Lewis and Clark once passed through here,  
1889 was its admission year,  
The next clue in the deep forest lie  
It may seem appealing to a person's eye,  
But the one real catch to the clue is this:  
Under that object, you'll have to kiss._

Bentley chuckled and said slyly, "Oh, I know what that one is. It's a..."

"Mistletoe," said Xochitl. "The most famous Christmas symbol of all. And another answer to this riddle is the state of Montana."

Selena said, "But we don't remember any mistletoes growing in Montana."

"You're wrong," said Snooper. "A particular species of mistletoe, the American kind, are smaller than the European ones. Of course, they don't normally grow in the western parts, but I do know somebody who grows a mistletoe garden in the wilderness of Montana, smack-dab on the road from the Yellowstone National Park."

"Who?" asked Nose Marie.

Snooper replied, "Timothy Snooper, A.K.A. 'Tiny Tim'. He's my brother, a botanist, and he knows a great deal about plants-including the one the riddle mentioned."

"Then we should go over there," said Alex II. "Maybe he can help us in solving the riddle."

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Tiny Tim's very wary of strangers, you know."

Meanwhile, back at Neptune, Holly was sitting huddled in the corner of her cage. Once or twice, she had shielded herself from Jackson's threatening strikes. But this time, she sat listening to his latest plan.

"You see, I'm not going to kill her," Jackson said to Belladonna and Shadow Charles. "It's just a bluff for Snooper, but there's the real reason why we want to attract him and his chummy chumps. He will get a surprise from me! Belladonna, what's your next plan?"

Belladonna said, "If the TTC get the first clue, then the next clue that Shadow Charles left will come in the clear. Next stop-Montana! I will meet them in Yellowstone Park, where I will have my secret weapon." She took out a seemingly innocent dog whistle, which was longer and more hideous looking that the one she had used in her former plot to ruin Christmas long ago. Jackson said, "A dog whistle? What are you going to do with that?"

"This isn't just an ordinary dog whistle," said Belladonna. "It's a dog whistle for dogs-and cats! I modeled this one after a blueprint of the dog whistle that I used in my previous attempts to ruin Christmas in San Francisco. With one single blow of sound from this tool, the dogs and cats in the team will be under my command. I'll test this on poor sweet Holly..."

She went over to the cage where Holly was sitting. Then, she blew the whistle. Out of the whistle came a horrible and hypnotic sound (it sounded like the fluctuating music of an accordion playing a snake charmer's melody), and Holly's eyes immediately turned an emerald green. She stood up and moaned in a monotonic voice, "I am in your control. I am under your command. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it, as long as I am under your spell."

"Great!" said Belladonna with a satisfied smile. "Now, as your master, I command you to..." She thought for a moment, before continuing, "Punch yourself in the face!"

"Your wish is my command, Master," intoned Holly. Then, she punched herself in the face and she fell down to the floor. Belladonna laughed and said to Jackson, "Do you see that? It works! Those conniving cops will be in for the biggest surprise of their lifetime!"

"You got that right!" said Shadow Charles. And they walked away from the room, laughing. When the steel doors clanged, Holly went back to her senses. She muttered, "What am I doing?" She put a finger in her mouth, and it came out covered in bits of blood. She had indeed punched herself in the face, thus knocking one of her teeth out. Holly tittered and said, "Now, this has gone way too far. I want to get out of here!"

She ran over to one side of the cage and shook the bars fiercely, hoping that one or two of them would break. That didn't work. She shook and screamed as much as she could, until she got exhausted. There was nothing else to do about escaping from Neptune. Then, she had an idea. Taking out a notebook and pen that she had been carrying since her kidnapping, she began writing a plea for help.

_Dear Alphonse (wherever you are),_

_I'm trapped on the planet Neptune, and I'm being held hostage by this terrible man named Jackson Roberts. Make yourself seen and get me out of this wretched place. PLEASE HELP!_

_Yours truly, your dear wife,_

_Holly Snooper (nee McPurr)_

Finished with the short letter, Holly looked around for somebody to send it for her. At last, she found three small mice scurrying in the room. She whispered loudly, "Psst! Over here!" The mice stopped to look at her. They came over to her at once, and she handed the letter to them. She continued, "Send this to someone by the name of Alphonse Snooper."

"Who's he?" said one of the mice.

"He's my husband," answered Holly, tears springing to her eyes. "He was declared missing a long time ago. I don't know where he is now, but he's bound to be hidden somewhere in Canerica. Do all you can to find him and tell him that I'm here."

"Don't worry, ma'am," said the mouse. "We just so happen to be valued members of the Rescue Aid Society. I'm sure we will find your lost husband."

"Oh, thank you, thank you! But please, hurry and send it to him. I can't stand it in here no longer!"

The mice nodded and ran away with the letter. Holly sat back and heaved a sigh. There was nothing else left to do but hope and pray, waiting for her dear knight in shining armor-her world-famous private-eye husband, Alphonse Snooper.


	7. Chapter 6: Yellowstone Shootout

Chapter 6: Yellowstone Shootout

The TTC Enterprise hovered over the dense forest of southwestern Montana. Spotting a large garden way down below, Snooper shouted, "There it is!"

The ship landed next to a middle-sized cottage near the garden. Snooper said, "As far as any one of you will know, Tiny Tim is completely xenophobic. He doesn't even know who you are, but only the presence of a long-lost littermate will give him some comfort. I'll talk to him first, and then he will get to know you."

The cops watched as Snooper went outside and walked up to the cottage. He arrived at the front door and knocked on it. A nerdy male voice (like Mandark from "Dexter's Laboratory") called out from within, "Who is it?"

"It's me," said Snooper. "Super Snooper."

"Super who?"

Snooper sighed, before saying, "Delbert Snooper."

The door opened and a male cat peeked out. He was wearing a pair of eyeglasses. The cat said, "Delbert? Is that really you?"

"Of course, it's me," Snooper said with a smile. "I just came here to see if you-"

The cat answered in a quavering voice, "Okay, but...are you sure there is no such thing as...Bigfoot?"

Snooper replied, "Don't be silly, Tim. Everybody knows it's just a flimsy piece of fiction."

As they watched Snooper and the cat (evidently Tiny Tim) talking, the TTC stood in silence. Bert said, "Is that Snooper's brother?"

"Yes, that's him," said Nellie. "It's Timothy. He was always the coward in the family."

"And why do you think that is so?"

"I have no idea, Mr. President. Besides, we have ever since believed that he was born a chicken-and I don't mean to offend him like that."

Just then, Shag barked and ran out of the spaceship. Colleen shouted, "Shag! Get back here!"

But Shag didn't listen. He had already run towards the two cats. Snooper noticed him coming and yelled, "No, Shag! NO!"

Tiny Tim saw Shag and meowed in sheer terror. He ran away, shouting, "It's Bigfooooooot!" He jumped into the bushes and hid, his body shaking. Snooper by this time had restrained the overactive man-sheepdog and led him back to the team. Hunter said, "Did you see what he just did? He scared that cat away!"

"Of course, he did," said Snooper with an exasperated sigh. "But he didn't chase him up a tree, thank goodness..." He led the team out of the spaceship and went over to where Tiny Tim was hiding. He said, "Tim? Are you all right?"

"Go away!" Tiny Tim screamed.

Snooper replied, "It's only me. I'm not Bigfoot-he's already gone."

Tiny Tim peeked from under the bushes and looked around. He whispered, "Are you sure?"

Snooper nodded. At this, Tiny Tim crawled out of the bushes and stood up to face the Time Toon Cops. Rufus asked, "Are you Timothy Snooper, alias Tiny Tim?"

"It is as you say," said Tiny Tim. "Nice to meet you, but please...please don't hurt me..."

"They're harmless, Tim," said Snooper. "These are my pals, the Time Toon Cops. We came all the way from Washington DC..."

"And the North Pole, of course," added Nellie.

Snooper continued, "And now we're here to look for a mistletoe."

"Do you want the American one?" asked Tiny Tim eagerly. "Or would you prefer the most exotic, most distant European kind?"

"The first choice," said Charles.

"Good! There's a mistletoe patch in between the Venus flytraps and the giant sunflowers. Gather as many of them as you like."

'Thanks. We'll head over there right away."

Suddenly, they heard another spaceship (only this time it's smaller) landing right next to the TTC Enterprise. Out of it came PowerPaws. She said, "Hey, guys. I came over here to see how your mission was going."

"PowerPaws?" said Bert. "I thought you were going to stay at home! You're pregnant, remember?"

"Who says pregnant women have to stay at home?" said PowerPaws, carrying a laser gun. "Just because I'm expecting a child doesn't mean that I won't be expecting danger from every corner of the country."

"And that's why you're rejoining us?" asked Bright Eyes.

PowerPaws nodded and said, "It's true. Oh, and King Faolan came to me this morning. He said his planet has been attacked by Robot Santa."

Charles said, "Oh, man. First, there's Vulpes-and the next target is...Earth."

"There's more good news, though. Robot Santa won't be arriving in DC for a few days, so we have plenty of time to gather all the clues before he strikes again."

"You're right," said Xochitl. "We have only a few days left until Robot Santa lands on Earth. How many days have we got?"

Bentley said, "Yesterday, we went to the North Pole, where we met Nellie and found the Candy Cane. We've got four days."

"Great. Today is now December 22nd, and our next clue is a mistletoe. Come with me-we have a harvest to complete."

A sinister voice from out of nowhere said, "But before you go, I think we want to give you something very special! HAA-HA-HA-HA!"

The cops spun around and saw Belladonna with Carface, Killer, Demon Dog and Dark Itchy. Hanging around her neck was the dog whistle. Charlie said, "Oh, no! It's Belladonna, and that's the dog whistle she used on me and the others during the Christmas thing!"

Belladonna said, "That's right, Chucky! You and your cat's friends will be under our control!"

"And how are you going to prove that?" asked Nellie defensively.

"With this," said Belladonna, holding up the whistle. "Not only will the dogs in your team work for me, but also the cats will join in the evil parade!" Then she blew the whistle. The haunting accordion-like melody pierced the air. Alex II said fearfully, "Cats? Oh, no-Fifi is in the cat family!"

"Great," said Ace. "Skunks are cats, too, and that's _really_ bad news."

All at once, the eyes of Fifi, Brandy, Derrick, Nose Marie, Cooler, Bright Eyes, Howler, Charlie, Itchy, Shana, Bess, Flo, Blaze, Tails, Snooper, Nellie, Cyrus, and Tiny Tim turned emerald green. They said in unison, "We are in your control. We are under your command..."

Belladonna laughed victoriously and shouted, "How do you like that, Time Toon Jerks?"

Charles (being part-cat himself) tried to fight it. He muttered, "Alex II...PowerPaws...the light swords can break us free...but Uncle's magic must be combined with it...so, please...hurry...I have to fight you, too...and Bunnie...stay back...I don't want to get you hurt." Then, his eyes became emerald green.

"I heard it," said Uncle Chan. "Alex II, give me the light swords-I will have Chi Magic in them in about 3 Hours."

"3 HOURS?" Alex II said. "That means that the ones are not under Belladonna's control." He turned to Bert and the others (who were not affected by the spell) and said, "We have to hold off our friends until Uncle Chan gets the Chi Magic into the light swords."

"ATTACK THEM!" Belladonna shouted.

"As you wish, Master," the cats and dogs intoned, before heading towards the other unaffected team. They took out their laser guns and started to attack them. Fifi was attacking Alex II, but Babs came up to help him while he faced Derrick.

"DRAGON Z TRANSFORM!" shouted Charles. He became Dragon Z and began fighting PowerPaws. She said desperately, "Charles, don't kill me! I'm your friend!"

Dragon Z did not listen. When a cat or a dog is hypnotized by the sound of the dog whistle, he or she cannot be reawakened by the voice of their acquaintances. He continued to attack PowerPaws, pummeling her to the ground. He was even unaware that she was pregnant-any distressing event such as intense violence could cause her to go into premature labor. As PowerPaws struggled to block his every blow, the video walkie-talkie in her pocket started to beep. She answered it, and on the screen was Nicole.

"PowerPaws!" said Nicole worriedly. "Where have you been? Vanilla and I have been looking all over for you!"

PowerPaws answered, "I'm-I'm in the Yellowstone National Park...at Tiny Tim's house in Montana. And I'm in trouble here-the TTC are being attacked, and so am I!"

"But don't you remember the doctor's orders to stay in bed until your baby is born?"

"I know that. I only realized the safety of my friends is far more important than the safety of my unborn child. And even if-"

Dragon Z snatched the walkie-talkie away and crushed it into pieces. PowerPaws said, "Charles, you have to fight this."

"Belladonna wants me to hurt you," Dragon Z said.

"You wouldn't hurt your best friend, would you? I mean, remember when we met? Years ago?"

Dragon Z didn't say a word. He punched PowerPaws in the face and sent her reeling over to the side of the river. Meanwhile, Thoru was protecting Uncle from Belladonna's zombies, and so were the J-Team. Blaze advanced to Bert and the others-Lisa tried to protect her husband, and if this was too risky, she'd even die for him. Alex II saw this and threw a TTC Morpher to her. He shouted, "Lisa, this morpher allows you to become a TTC Ranger. Do it now!" Then he became a Red TTC Ranger and continued fighting Derrick.

Lisa nodded, and holding the morpher high in the air she cried, "TTC RANGER!" Then she became the New Orange TTC Ranger with a Laser Staff and she began fighting Blaze while Blaze fought back. She said, "Blaze! Stop this! You are Bert's mistress, and you're his wife, too. Don't kill him!"

"Belladonna ordered me to kill him," said Blaze. "And now, I'll kill you, too!"

While they were fighting the zombified team members, Uncle Chan picked up the light swords and began putting the Chi Magic on them. He chanted, "Mugi Fi Me Fo Fa...Mugi Fi Me Fo Fa..." The light swords began to light up and burn with ferocious energy. Uncle Chan threw the swords over to Lisa, Alex II, and the others, shouting, "The spell's done! Your light swords have been charged up!"

"Are you staying here to help us fight Belladonna?" asked Melissa.

"No," replied Uncle Chan, running away. "I'm going back home where I will be safe! If I get killed, then what will my nephew think of me?"

Employing their newly charged light swords, the TTC prepared to attack the zombies. Ralph and Mr. Whiskers teamed up to free Brandy from Belladonna's control. Ralph said, "Now, Whiskers, on the count of three, we sneak up behind her and touch her head with the light swords. Ready?"

"Ready when you are!" said Mr. Whiskers.

"All right. One...two...three!"

The raccoon and the rabbit ran screaming towards Brandy and hit her with the swords before she could attack them. She fell down and lay there. The green eyes soon turned back blue, and she moaned weakly, "Where am I?"

Handing her one of the swords, Ralph said, "Here, Brandy. We've freed you from her control. Let's get the rest."

The rest of the team followed Ralph's and Whiskers' example. They struck the heads of the zombies and turned them back to normal. Belladonna growled, "What is the meaning of this?"

"It's over, Belladonna," said Alex II. "Give up or die!"

Belladonna growled again. But then, she signaled Carface, Killer, Demon Dog, and Dark Itchy to come with her inside her spaceship. As it floated up in the air, she peeked out the window and shouted, "You'll regret this one day, Time Toon Jerks. I'll get you next time!" And the ship flew off into the horizon.

"What happened?" groaned Nellie. "Is the battle over yet?"

"Yes, it is," said Snooper, helping her up. "I don't remember what happened during the battle, but boy, do I have one huge headache. Ouch!"

Xochitl called everyone back together. She said, "Belladonna got away this time, but at least we did put up a good fight. Is everybody okay?"

"We are," Fifi said.

"Do you remember anything that happened while you were under her spell?"

The cats and dogs looked at each other. Finally, Snooper replied, "No. Nothing, to say the least."

"Well, that's pretty unusual," said Xochitl. "When Belladonna blew the whistle, it seemed to have the powerful effect of taking a hold on all your minds. Then, when we struck you back to normal, the memories of your attack on us instantly disappear. Fortunately, though, you don't seem to have a serious case of amnesia."

Bentley said, "And that's a good thing, too."

Cyrus looked around. He said, "Anyone seen PowerPaws?"

Blaze, who was over by the river, shouted, "Over here!"

The TTC went to the river, where they found PowerPaws sitting up against a rock. Charles said, "Sorry, PowerPaws. I didn't mean to hurt you while I was under Belladonna's spell."

PowerPaws looked up at Charles and smiled. She said, to the team's surprise, "Oh, that's all right, Charles. No harm done to me and my baby."

Bert helped her up and said, "But...that blow he gave you...did it not cause you to go into-"

"Premature labor?" scoffed PowerPaws. "Puh-lease! There's not a single scratch all over my body. Do you wanna know the secret to my survival? It's this!" With that, she shook herself. Drops of what appeared to be dewdrops flew off of her fur. She continued, "Daddy created me to be ultra-invincible. These dewdrop-like things just so happen to be my natural damage-proof amniotic membranes, which clung to every part of my body and turned into something along the lines of 'Mother Nature's Shield'. That way, when I'm in rough and tough battles like the one that just occurred several moments ago, I can't get hurt."

"And that keeps you from being harmed in any kind of way?" asked Nose Marie.

PowerPaws nodded and replied, "It's true. You can try to stab me with a knife, cut my head off with an axe, or even crush me under the feet of a 10-ton elephant. But no matter what you do, I'll still be standing." She sighed and continued, "Nicole tried to warn me that a single blow could render me unable to respond-which I did right away-but the connection was cut off." She turned to Charles, adding, "You broke the video walkie-talkie while you were attacking me."

"For that, I'm sorry," said Charles.

Alex II said, "All right, PowerPaws. You can still be on our team, as long as you don't cause any trouble for all of us-there's nothing more embarrassing than having a team member getting hurt, especially when she's expecting a child. I want you to keep yourself off of any hazardous missions we're about to undertake, and we'll only call you when an emergency arises."

"But who will take care of me until then?" asked PowerPaws.

Snooper went over to PowerPaws side and said, "I will."

"Now, remember, Delbert," said Cyrus. "You have to do all you can to protect PowerPaws and keep her inside the ship at all times-you can let her go when the team needs her. Take very good care of her, make sure you tend to the right kind of needs, and if she starts to go into labor, you know exactly what to do."

"Okay," said Snooper dutifully. "I'll do it."

Rufus said to Tiny Tim, "You may be born a chicken, but what I do see is the great courage you attempted to show when Belladonna's whistle hypnotized you. And for this brilliant show of character, I'm rewarding you by adding you to be part of the TTC."

"Oh, geez," muttered Tiny Tim, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "It was...it was nothing..."

Rufus smiled and gave him another white trench coat with a purple deerstalker cap. He said, "They say that purple is the color of bravery. The main purpose of this hat is to wear it proudly and never be afraid to leave it on."

Tiny Tim put on the clothes and smiled in awe. He said, "A Jewish boy at a Bar Mitzvah says 'Today I am a man'. For this occasion, I might as well say 'Today I am a cat'! What do you think?"

The team members nodded in approval. Xochitl said, "Listen up, you guys! We've done the first two riddles. The third one is not very hard to solve." Then she proceeded to read the riddle.

_Where else would you find the Fountain of Youth,  
And luxurious Miami Beach?  
The answer to this next riddle  
Is not very hard to reach.  
If you go to the aforementioned city  
And go the rest of the way,  
You'll find out what fun it is to ride  
In a one-horse open sleigh._

"That sounds pretty tricky to me," said Bentley, scratching his head.

"What was it?" asked Whopper.

Xochitl replied, "The last two lines of the riddle sound familiar. These are part of the lyrics of a famous Christmas song. Do you guys know what it is?"

The TTC stood still for a moment. They tried to think, but they couldn't come up with a good answer to the riddle. Then, Rocky smiled and began to sing. "Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh..."

"O'er the hills we go," Bright Eyes joined in. "Laughing all the way..."

They looked at each other, and smiled again, before continuing to sing, this time in a duet: "Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright, what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight! Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the-"

"Stop!" said Lisa, astonished. "The answer is 'Jingle Bells'-that's it! And the answer to the riddle is that we have to find a bell."

"I know a place where we can find it," said Snooper. "It's in Miami, just as the riddle had mentioned. In there you'll find the rare Golden Bell of the Harringtons. It looks like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, but the difference is that it's a bright golden color and there's not a single crack anywhere. Legend has it that the ancestor of the Florida Harringtons, Sir Rudolph Harrington, came into Florida a very long time ago, and tried to please the Spanish by presenting the bell as a gift. And what did the Spaniards say? 'Keep the bell-you can stay here as long as you don't sell our information to our enemies.' He did exactly as he was told. With this in mind, he settled into a beautiful adobe mansion, married a rich Spanish woman, and raised a family with her-and all this while keeping the Golden Bell in his possession. He did all he could to keep his mouth shut, especially with the American Revolution brewing at the time."

"My family's mansion was built on the site where his adobe once stood," said Brandy. "It was knocked down when the Americans took Florida."

Bentley asked, "Then would it be all right if we took the bell with us as our next clue? It's a scavenger hunt, after all."

"I don't know," answered Brandy. "My parents and their owners are pretty skittish about handing their most prized possession to people of the lower class. They wouldn't even give it to their rivals, the Texas Turlingtons. But if you employ me as a diplomat, I'm sure they would agree to help you accomplish the mission."

"That's right, Brandy," said Xochitl. "You would, in fact, come in handy in a situation like that. All right, Time Toon Cops, let's move out to the Sunshine State posthaste!"

The TTC went back into the spaceship and flew off to their next destination. Inside, Snooper added, "Oh, I almost forgot-my sister also lives in Miami. She's a famous singer."

"She is?" asked Mr. Whiskers.

"Yes," said Snooper. "Her name is Siren. Do you know why she was given that name?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"My father gave her the name, because he had a hunch that she would attract criminals with her lovely singing, thus fooling them and putting them in the caboose. Instead, she became a vocalist, and went on to sing the songs that launched her to fame. And there's one interesting fact about her past. Not only she was aptly named 'Siren', but it was known that her real legal name is Betsy Annie-May Bunker. When she was eight years old..."

"I remember her!" interrupted Rufus. "Once, I traveled back in time, and prevented her mother from abandoning her at a convent. I took her with me to the year 2000, and came to the event where a group of people were witnessing a rocket being sent to Krypton-I could not recall what was in the rocket, but I realized that besides winning the custody battle, the prosecuting side lost the infant they were going to take away from Mr. Dilbert. I decided to comfort them by handing the eight-year-old kitten to them. Now her new family consists of two aliens, a billionaire, a pair of hillbillies, a cow, a robot, and seventeen engineers. They had moved to Florida shortly after the adoption, and raised little Siren there."

"Do you really think she'd be able to help us?" asked Bright Eyes.

Snooper just shrugged. He said, "So long as she doesn't get nervous. She's been waiting a long time for a reunion like this."

Meanwhile, not far away from where they took off, the mice from the Rescue Aid Society had carried Holly Snooper's desperate message to her long-lost husband. They somehow had ended up in a large cave, where a family of bears was hibernating. One of the mice whispered, "Excuse me, but do you know a Mr. Alphonse Snooper?"

The bear opened his eyes and saw the mice. He mumbled sleepily, "Who?"

"It's Alphonse Snooper," said the mouse. "We're just on our way to deliver a message to him. Do you know where he is?"

"No," the bear answered. "And would you please come back in March? We've got a whole lot of sleep to catch up on..."

The mice, however, were persistent. The mouse said, "But we're the mice of the Rescue Aid Society. I'm sure you know us a great deal more than anyone does. And if you-" Suddenly, he paused, and tried to think of what bears usually ate. Mice were on the ursine menu. He muttered, "I'm afraid that if you wake up, you'll eat us all. And we'll never be able to relay the message on time."

Then, another bear, a female, and another male bear woke up. The female bear said, "Don't be silly. We're vegetarians-we wouldn't eat a mouse like you."

"Oh, good!" said the mouse, smiling again. "Then could you tell us where Alphonse Snooper is?"

The bears thought for a moment. The male bear muttered, "Alphonse Snooper, eh? Well..." Then he brightened up. He continued, "Now I remember! He's in Ft. Lauderdale. He was living with us over there when we first moved to Florida."

"But what are you doing in here?" asked the mouse.

"Oh, we were just reliving our old custom," said the female bear. "Hibernation used to be a whole lot of fun, but since we were used to warm sunny climates in Florida, we just do it for the kicks. We don't _really_ hibernate, after all-we've come to love winter in all its glory. And who would you think could've missed all that?"

The mouse replied, "Then you'll be extra lucky, because Christmas is coming up. Have you ever thought of inviting your relatives to celebrate?"

The bear shook her head. She said sadly, "No. My parents died ten years ago."

"Ooh, that's pretty bad," said the mouse. "But don't worry-perhaps a little holiday spirit would work to cheer you up in no time. Would you like to come with us?"

The bears looked at each other, before replying happily, "We'll do it!"

The mouse said, "First, we'll start by demanding your names. Who are you?"

"I'm Robert," said the bear. "And here is my wife, Minora. The other bear with us is our son, Harvey."

"Great! Let's get moving!"

The young male bear, named Harvey, halted the departing company. He asked, "Would it be all right if I took my wife and kids with me?"

"Sure," said Minora. "And don't forget to tell them that we're going back home."

Harvey nodded, before whistling. In no time, a beautiful female bear and three bear cubs piled out of the cave. Then, the happy animal parade-the mice and the bears-walked through the forest, singing delightful Christmas songs to pass the time away while they're on their way to Florida. This time, the mice were confident that they will find Alphonse Snooper at last.


	8. Chapter 7: Alphonse Snooper Returns

Chapter 7: Alphonse Snooper Returns!

The TTC Enterprise hovered over the vast regions of Canerica, its next destination being Florida. Inside, in the back room of the ship, Snooper helped PowerPaws ease down on a soft pillow. He said, "Do you feel better now?"

"A little bit," sighed PowerPaws. "It's just my foot. Could you rub it for me, please? It hurts."

Snooper bent down and proceeded to rub her foot gently and carefully. PowerPaws sighed contentedly and sat completely still. After finishing the massage, Snooper said, "Your foot's done."

"No. Not yet-you can do my other foot."

As he started to rub PowerPaws' other foot, Snooper said, "You've really gone to so many extremes to help us on your mission, Eugenia."

PowerPaws' mouth nearly dropped open. She had never heard Snooper say her real name in all her life. Maybe he probably heard it when she told the TTC about her past. PowerPaws muttered, "Snooper, I..."

"I know," said Snooper. "You might not have realized that I would know your name pretty well. In fact, I have. And it was for a good reason, too."

"How do you know about that?"

Snooper paused to look at PowerPaws. Then he said, "There was something that I've wanted you to know for a long time. It's a secret, but fortunately for us there's nobody around here to listen except you. Will you promise not to tell?"

"I won't tell," PowerPaws replied.

Snooper smiled. He began, "Before there was Krystal and Selena, there was you. Even though I never did get to see you for the first time, I had loved you from afar. You could just call it a 'dizzy crush', if you know what I mean." He chuckled and continued, "Heck, I thought you would be the one for me to settle down with. But I knew that it won't work out quite right."

"What do you mean?" asked PowerPaws.

"When Cyrus became your boyfriend," recalled Snooper. "My heart was broken into bits and pieces. After that, I had nobody else to turn to except my mother and Blab. I felt utterly alone, dejected, cast out. It was not until that life-changing experience in Los Angeles made me rethink living my life as a lonely bachelor. And that was my chance to see you again-which I did, of course."

"But aren't you married now?"

"I am, as a matter of fact. I love Selena, and the kids, too, but I don't want to push this intimate relationship even further. If I did, it would make them think that I'm betraying them."

"By cheating on your wife?" said PowerPaws. She tried hard to hide a giggle. "Don't be silly, Snoop-don't you remember President Raccoon's latest law? It says that any man or woman can have any number of wives or husbands."

"I heard he changed that law. Now men can have more wives rather than women do with their husbands."

"I know that, but I still consider following the old law. It was much better then."

They sat together in silence. Then, Snooper said, "Well, I'm not sure. But maybe if Selena was killed, then I'd marry you and you'd make a good stepmother to the kids."

"You keep forgetting that's she's immortal. There's absolutely no way that she would die."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

The ship arrived at Miami, Florida, and went over to a fancy-looking mansion. The team got out and took a look at it. Brandy said, "This is it-the Harrington Mansion."

"I thought they lived in Palm Beach," said Mr. Whiskers.

"They did," answered Brandy. "But when a hurricane hit their old home, they moved up to here. As far as I know, there haven't been any hurricanes around this area for the past 150 years."

Alex II said, "Ok. I hope this will work. Brandy, you are a diplomat for us, so let them know what we need. Remember-the bell is our next clue."

"All right."

The TTC followed Brandy up to the front door of the mansion. Brandy knocked on the door, and a female voice called out from within, "Nobody's home!"

"It's me," said Brandy.

The door opened and two dogs stood out on the porch. The male dog had floppy blond ears, brown eyes, and a thin black mustache. The other dog, a female, had black ears and blue eyes. Rufus said, "Nigel and Martha Harrington, I presume?"

"Brandy?" said Martha, growling in indignation. "Where have you been?"

"It's a long story," said Brandy. "And boy, you wouldn't want to hear it."

Looking at the team behind her, Nigel asked sternly, "And who are they? We didn't invite any strangers."

Brandy looked at the TTC and replied, "Oh...those are my friends, the Time Toon Cops."

"We've heard of them many times," said Martha. "And they're always in the news. But why did you bring them here?"

"Well, it's-"

Bert dashed in front of her and said, "I'll handle this."

"Bert!" Brandy complained. "I'm supposed to talk to them, not you!"

"Relax," replied Bert. "I've been good at diplomacy as well as governing the empire." He turned to the Harringtons and said, "My name is Bert Raccoon. You may not remember me, but I happen to be the president of these United States of Canerica."

Nigel smiled and said, "Ah, President Raccoon! What a great pleasure to meet you! You've been on the news as well! Why don't you and all of your friends come in?"

"Why, sure!" said Bert happily.

The TTC went inside the mansion. Martha said, "Remember-all of the items in this household are valuables. You can look, but you can't touch!"

Soon, they were all sitting in the living room, talking. Brandy asked, "Do you know anything about the-"

"I know what you're thinking," said Nigel. "The Golden Bell! Martha and I were preparing to put it on the auction block."

"You're selling it?" Brandy gasped in shock.

Nigel nodded and said, "I'm afraid so, dear. We've been living the glorious lifestyle that we've had since the day Rudolph Harrington first set foot on this land. And it's fair to say that the bell had given us a great deal of good luck over the years. When we noticed that you went missing while on the way to a five-star spa years ago, it seemed that the bell was starting to run out of its influential luck-giving power. Then, the troubles began-one of your brothers, Maurice, got involved in a car crash in Jacksonville. Your sister Nirvana broke a leg in the Swiss Alps. And poor Lolly died from a serious case of malaria, after coming home from New Mexico. I can't say what happened to your other siblings, but I'm sure that their fates were far more worse than the three. And then came the death blow-if we didn't pay the house bills on time, the repo center would come and take our house and possessions away. That's when we had enough of the old bell, so we decided to sell it. And what could be a better place to hold the auction than at Ft. Lauderdale?"

"So, you're saying," said Ralph. "That in order to save your home, you have to give up your centuries-old treasure?"

"We didn't have a choice," replied Martha. "It was either that or the homeless shelter."

Alex II said, "Well, we could buy the bell for you."

"We could, in fact. Unfortunately, though, it's not going to work _that_ way. If you want to buy the Golden Bell, you'll have to place a bid on it."

"That would work, too. Let's go, team."

As soon as the TTC left, the couple heaved a sigh of relief. Nigel muttered, "That was close, Martha. For a while there, we'd thought they were thieves!"

"Don't count on it," said Martha. "I predict that they're going to steal the bell instead of bidding on it."

"Oh, no, they're not. They seem convincing enough as cops to trust them."

Back on Neptune, Jackson was shocked that Jackie's Uncle ruined one half of his plan. He growled, "GRRR! That Jackie's Uncle! I should've got rid of him when I had the chance! Well, no matter..." He turned to Belladonna and said, "The TTC won't find out how to protect themselves, since they didn't know the earmuffs can protect their ears from your whistle. I stole them and hid them so they can't find them, and I am the only one who knows where they're at. But after their next clue, I'll be sending Rudolph and Zoey to face them with some of Robot Santa's real deer, too, since they came to find their son."

"Ok," said Belladonna. "In the meantime, what will you be doing?"

"I want you to train the reindeers in fighting," answered Jackson. "While I give Rudolph a time of his life." He led Rudolph into another room. Inside, he said, "Since I got this in me, I will make you the first male reindeer pregnant with my kid! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

"Yes, Master," said Rudolph. "Do whatever you want me to do."

As soon as the door slammed shut, Belladonna laughed and walked off to train the reindeers.

Meanwhile, back down in Florida, there was an auction party going on in Ft. Lauderdale. Crowds gathered in front of the stage, waiting for the pre-auction concert. They applauded when a young female cat walked on the stage. She had on a blue jean jacket (with a pink shirt), a silver miniskirt, fuchsia legwarmers, and Reebok sneakers. Situated behind her ear was a red hibiscus flower, her tail was long and fluffy, and hanging around her neck was a necklace with a bright shining jewel in the center. The cat grabbed the microphone and spoke into it. She shouted cheerily, "Ft. Lauderdale, what's up!"

The crowd cheered louder. Enlightened at hearing the roaring audience, the cat continued, "The name's Siren, and I'm here to rock this auction out loud! You know me in the magazines. You know all of my songs by heart. And now, it's time for me to introduce a new joint to this system. I call it my 'Winter Wonder Jam'! Let's hit it!"

Rock music played, and the audience cheered and clapped their hands in time to the beat. The cat began to sing...

CUE SONG: "Winter Wonder Jam"

_The snow is falling,  
And the air is cold,  
All of the snowflakes  
Are shinin' brighter than gold_

_The holidays are coming,  
And you know what that means-  
It's time for me and you  
To dig some Christmas scenes! _

CHORUS:  
_It's a Winter Wonder Jam,  
Good times are here and we're happy as clams,  
A Winter Wonder Jam,  
Let's break out the roasted ham!_

The TTC arrived at the party. They were sure that as soon as the auction begins, they're prepared to buy it. Bentley said, "First, we got the Candy Cane. Then we got the mistletoes. And next on our list of clues is the Golden Bell."

"But the auction's not starting yet," said Bright Eyes.

Alex II said, "That's right. We should wait until the Harringtons are ready to do the selling."

All of a sudden, they bumped into a group of bears and the mice. Bert said nervously, "Oops-sorry about that."

"No harm done," said the mouse. "Anyway, we're looking for Mr. Alphonse Snooper, and we want to send him this message. Have you seen him?"

"Hey, we know you," said Blaze. "You're the mice of the Rescue Aid Society." Pointing to the bears, she continued, "And who are they?"

"The bears? Oh, they're the Grizzlys-Robert, Minora, Harvey, Sherry, Dora, Laura, and Anderson."

Snooper grabbed the message and started to read it. He gasped and said, "It's from Mother. She's still alive!"

"Yes," replied the mouse. "And she needs Mr. Snooper's help in rescuing her."

"You mean...my father?"

"Oh, yes. He went missing years ago-we're really desperate to find him as soon as we can."

"I don't actually know where he is right now. All I'm thinking about is the mission, and I-"

Suddenly, Nellie pointed to the stage in the horizon and shouted, "Look!"

The TTC turned around and saw the cat performing before the live audience. Tiny Tim was shocked. He took off his glasses and cleaned them before putting them on again. He said, "I can't believe my eyes! Could that be...?"

"Yep," said Nellie with a smile. "That's Siren, all right. I could recognize her by her fluffy tail."

Snooper said, "Yeah. Maybe she could help us with the auction."

They listened as the cat, named Siren, sang the chorus one more time.

_It's a Winter Wonder Jam,  
Good times are here and we're happy as clams,  
A Winter Wonder Jam,  
Let's break out the roasted ham! _

_A Winter Wonder Jam,  
Let the season come with a slam!_

"Merry Christmas, Ft. Lauderdale! Thank you! You've been a good audience!"

The people cheered as Siren smiled proudly and took a bow. Then, she walked away backstage where her family was waiting. She said, "So, how was it?"

"Good," said the hillbilly woman (she's the one with the red hair). "Now we can go home and get them decorations up."

"But Mom!" whined Siren. "I want to stay here for the auction! I want to see who buys it!"

The cow (named Flossie) mooed disapprovingly. The robot said, "Negative. We all need to savor in the holiday spirit, and we'd like to go home now."

Siren groaned. She said, "All right. I'll go back home with you...but not until I see who bids the highest."

"Oh, well," said the hillbilly man (with yellow hair). "You can go right on ahead, Betsy."

Siren nodded and went back outside. By this time, Nigel and Martha were on another stage, ready to start the auction. Martha said, "We have this very special item we call the Golden Bell. It has been in our family for generations, and due to innumerable problems, we had to sell it. The bid for this bell is 500 dollars-the price means that it's worthless. So, who wants to place a bid?"

Snooper shouted, "1,000 dollars!"

"Did I hear somebody say 1,000 dollars?" asked Martha merrily, cocking her head to one side.

"It's me!" shouted Snooper, jumping up and down. "I want to buy that bell for-"

"2,000 dollars!"

Everyone immediately froze at hearing a husky male voice from among the crowd. Nigel looked around, saying, "Who said that?"

All at once, the crowd parted as an elderly male cat stepped forward. Like Snooper, he was wearing a white trench coat and a light-green plaid deerstalker cap. And he had brown fur, too. Adjusting his Benjamin Franklin-style eyeglasses, the cat said, "I'm placing my bid of 2,000 dollars for that bell."

"All right," said Martha. "2,000 dollars it is. Anyone else?"

Snooper marched right up to the front of the platform and shouted, "Oh, yeah? 4,000 dollars!"

The old cat chuckled and said, "I say 5,000."

This made Snooper blow his top. He meowed angrily and shouted, "7,000 dollars!"

"8,000."

"10,000!"

"11,000."

"15,000 dollars! How's _that_?"

The cat stared at Snooper in surprise. Snooper thought, "_At least that amount of money shut him up._"

Finally, the cat laughed and said, "You know what? This young man's right. Perhaps that old bell costs 15,000 dollars. So, maybe I'll just let him have his way..."

The people applauded. Snooper muttered, "Huh?"

"Congratulations," said Martha, going over to Snooper and shaking hands with him. "The Golden Bell of the Harringtons is now yours for the taking!"

The TTC cheered. Snooper had claimed the bell for them! After the applause died down, Martha continued, "Have you got the money?"

"Um, no," muttered Snooper, as he dug through his pockets. "I don't think so. No, wait...I..."

The people gasped in horror. Nigel said, "You have no money? You claimed to have 15,000 dollars. We only need 50,000 more to pay off the mortgage!"

"But Nigel, I..."

It was then that the old cat reentered the scene. He said, "Pardon me, Sir Harrington, but I'd like to help this young man out. Since he says that he doesn't have any money, I agree to pitch in most of the money that I won in the lottery last year-the amount of 2,000,000 dollars!" He held up a fairly large grey box, with dollar bills sticking out.

Nigel and Martha stared at him in shock. So did the crowd. Finally, Martha said nervously, "Why, uh...sure. We'd love to take your money..."

Everybody cheered as the Harringtons walked off with the money. Eager to join in the excitement, Siren ran out of the stage and into the crowd, much to the chagrin of her assorted adoptive family. Brandy said, "The bell is sold, and the Harrington Mansion is saved. Now we have the third clue in our hands."

"You're right, Brandy," said Derrick. "But there's one thing I just can't figure out-who _is_ that cat?"

They watched as Snooper and the cat walked up to the team. The mouse said excitedly, "Look, look! That's him! Let's give him the letter!"

Bert held back the rodents, saying, "Not yet."

"This old man saved the day!" Snooper said happily. "Now that we acquired the bell and saved the mansion at the same time, I'm sure that this mission will be easy as pie. Pumpkin pie, to be exact."

Lisa said, "We want to know one thing, though. Who is he?"

Before Snooper could say a word, they heard Siren shouting, "Excuse me!"

They stood there in surprise, as the young cat came into view. Siren asked, "Are you the new owners of the Golden Bell?"

Snooper nodded. He said, "My name's Super Snooper, of the Time Toon Cops. If you can recognize my scent, you'll know me as your long-lost biological brother."

"And who would that be?"

"Delbert Snooper."

Siren smiled excitedly and hugged him. She shouted with glee, "Oh, it _is_ you! I haven't seen you in ages!" Spotting Nellie, Tiny Tim, and Cyrus, she continued, "And they must be our other siblings, huh?"

"You bet they are."

The team watched as the two cats embraced each other. Bert said, "As we were saying...we want to know who the old cat is."

The cat looked up at the TTC. He asked, "You want to know who I am, eh?"

"Yeah," said Bert Jr. "We've been asking that same question-before that girl interrupted us."

The cat smiled, tipped his deerstalker cap amiably, and said, "The name's Alphonse Snooper, at your service."

The TTC, mice, and bears gasped in shock. They couldn't believe what they were seeing or hearing. Snooper muttered, "...Father?"


	9. Chapter 8: Battle For Ft Lauderdale

Chapter 8: Battle for Ft. Lauderdale

"Of course, it's me, son," said Alphonse cheerfully.

In an instant, tears started to fall from Snooper's eyes. He smiled, walked up to him, and gave him a warm hug. Nellie, Cyrus, Tiny Tim, and Siren followed suit. Snooper cried happily, "Oh, Father! It's you! We've found you!"

"How did you get here, Daddy?" asked Nellie. "We thought you were dead!"

Alphonse chuckled and said, "Well, it's sort of a long story, really. Besides, if you had looked in the Lost and Found directory in the newspapers, you would've found me earlier."

The TTC, startled by the joyous reunion of the father and his five children, were also surprised. Charles said, "You're Alphonse Snooper, the legendary private-eye?"

"I was," replied Alphonse. "I'm retired now, but I still have the virile wits of the great detective I used to be. Not so many cases of arthritis in my limbs, as far as I know."

"Anyway, we're so surprised that we've found you, too," said Bert. "Snooper told us that you went missing years ago, when he and his littermates were only small kittens. Could you, at least, tell us the story about how you ended up here in the first place?"

Alphonse looked at them. He said nervously, "I just don't know where to start. It's been ages since I've revealed my tales..."

"Then could you tell it to us?" asked Siren. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," Alphonse muttered, after a soul-searching pause. "I wouldn't say 'no' to you, either." Then, he took a deep breath, and began to tell his story. "It all started many, many years ago. It was December 24, 1940-the night before Christmas. I was going out to buy presents for the kids, but I was in for more than just a little bit of holiday shopping. As I was going to the department store, a group of rowdy gangster dogs rolled up in their Mercedes-Benz and grabbed me. Before I knew it, I was kidnapped! They took me over to their hideout in an old abandoned building somewhere in the city. There they tortured me all night, and I just didn't know when they'd stop. They didn't give me no food to eat or water to drink-heck, sometimes I had to make do with eating parts of a wooden chair that I was strapped to! Finally, when my kidnappers were asleep, I took a chance to leave the premises...fast. So, I left New York-and with the feeling that they might find out about my escape, I tried hiding in many various places that I could find, before taking shelter in a large cave beneath the cliffs behind Jacksonville."

"A few days later, it was noticed that I, Alphonse Snooper, had been declared missing on Christmas morning. A nationwide search was conducted immediately, lasting a mere few weeks. After that, the police gave up-thought that I was a goner. Dead. But for me, I wasn't actually dead. Instead, I was still living in the cave, subsisting on nothing but rotten trash dumped from the streets. I was always poor...always hungry...and always alone."

"And then we found you," said Minora.

Alphonse replied, "Oh, yes, you did find me. One day, when I emerged from the cave, I happened to spot a moving van zooming through the city. I followed it all the way to a house in Ft. Lauderdale, where I encountered a family of bears-an old couple, their daughter, their son-in-law, and their grandson. Even though they were shocked to have a carnivore living with them, they eventually accepted me as a loyal family friend. During that period of time, I made a brand-new discovery-I became a vegetarian by choice! Having remembered your kindness to mice in your childhood, I started giving up eating meat as well. The bears reacted to my new diet with utmost gladness. I had also become attached to the family, whom I adopted as my own."

"We had so much fun over the years together. We laughed, played jokes on each other, celebrated wonderful holidays-including Christmas-and went on vacations. And whenever we vacationed in colder areas, they taught me how to hibernate. We rarely do _that_ nowadays, since we were used to spending the winter in the warm weather. Over the years, my close bond with the Bearsdens intensified. I even participated as the best man in young Harvey's wedding. But then, ten years ago, Minora's parents died. And when she and her remaining family went on their next vacation in Montana...they forgot to bring me with them. I decided to cope with their absence by signing up in the nearest retirement center and having the time of my life!"

"My greatest joy, however," continued Alphonse. "Was being reunited with you and your siblings. I could've asked for anything better than this..."

"And that's a good thing, too," said the mouse, handing him the letter. "Here, read this-it's from your wife, and she needs help pretty bad."

Alphonse grabbed the letter and read it. He muttered sadly, "Oh...my dear Holly..."

Blaze said, "We heard that she's been held captive by Jackson Roberts, in his new hideout on the planet Neptune."

"That's the kind of news I wanted to hear," said Alphonse angrily. "I've loved my Holly since the day we met in the dazzling cornfields of Nebraska. Nobody-and I mean _nobody_-dares to lay a hand or paw on my precious wife of 78 years!"

"Uh, Mr. Snooper, the year is 3011. That should've been 1,081 years, now."

"Oh. Maybe that. I always keep forgetting things."

"Listen up, everybody," announced Xochitl. "Here's a recap of what we accomplished during our search for the third clue. First, we saved the Harrington Mansion from being taken away. Then, we bought the Golden Bell at the auction. And after that, we've found Snooper's long-missing father. What we need right now is the next clue. Here's the riddle..."

_Mire abajo en Sur de la Frontera,  
Hacia el este a su patria,  
Su último indicio de vacaciones en un imperio perdido está  
Y usted encontrará que cierra en mano. _

"Hey," said Melissa. "We didn't know Jackson wrote in Spanish!"

Charles said, "My brother studied a lot in the past. I guess he must've used this language to prevent us from solving this new riddle."

"That's not likely, Charles," said Xochitl. "Spanish was the language of my people's oppressors, the conquistidores. My mom came from the time when both the Aztec and Maya civilizations were conquered by the Spanish-she learned that tongue from priests trying to convert the natives to Christianity. And ugh! I hate Christianity _so_ much! It eliminated most of the culture and religion we had. That's why I hate Mexicans."

"Uh, Xochitl," said Bert. "You're making a critical mistake here. You see, not all people are Mexican. I-"

"No, I'm talking about Mexicans of pure Spanish descent. I only favor my mom's people, the Maya. Now, let's see if I can translate this riddle."

_Look way below in South of the Border,  
Eastward into the native land,  
Your last holiday clue in a lost empire lies  
And you'll find it close at hand._

Xochitl gasped. She said, "Now, I know what it's talking about-the riddle was directed towards me!"

"We know that," said Charles. "But what, then, is the last clue we have to find?"

"I don't know," answered Xochitl. "Beside the riddle, there's a drawing of what appears to be a Christmas tree."

"That's ridiculous. Christmas trees don't grow in dry areas, especially in Mexico."

"You're wrong. There's actually one in Mexico-the world's tallest Christmas tree, in the Yucatán peninsula, where the Maya once ruled. It was grown in the secret underground area where a new Mayan kingdom dwells. My mom lived there once, long before she met Dad."

"We have to find the tree in an underground Mayan empire, right?"

"That's true."

Suddenly, a blast of laser beams shot out across the sky, missing the cops. Bright Eyes said, "What was that?"

"There's a battle coming," said Rufus, lifting up his cane and pressing the button on its side. The cane transformed into the Sword of Vulcan. "If Jackson wants another battle, he'll get a battle, all right."

But it wasn't Jackson Roberts. This time, there was Evil Ruldoph, now newly pregnant, with Zoey and his reindeer family. They were carrying laser guns and laser swords.

Evil Rudolph said, "Master Jackson Roberts wants us to slow you down. Attack!"

The evil reindeer began to charge towards the TTC. Charles said, "Oh, no! It's Ruldoph-he's evil now! And man, Jackson went low again!" Then he transformed into Dragon Z.

"And he's pregnant, too!" said Snooper. "After this, I want to know how Jackson could make a male pregnant."

The TTC fought Rudolph and the evil reindeer. That's when things started to get really tough-the reindeer were getting stronger by the minute. The TTC needed PowerPaw's help badly. Alex II shouted, "PowerPaws! We need you!"

PowerPaws was inside the ship in Miami when she heard his call from afar off. She stood with a start, grabbed a light saber, and ran out, shouting, "I'm on my way!"

She arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, where the battle was just starting. She and Evil Rudolph clashed swords with each other and fought ferociously. Zoey was fighting Lisa, who had now changed into the TTC Orange Ranger. Everyone else fought the other evil reindeer. But soon, the reindeer grew tougher and the cops grew weaker. Bentley shouted, "We can't hold them back any longer! What are we going to do now?"

"Then this calls for my secret weapon," said Xochitl. "Stand back and plug up your ears."

The TTC backed away and closed their ears. Xochitl took a deep breath, and screamed at the reindeer long enough to produce a wind that blew them away from the city. The reindeer were sent flying farther and farther away, until they disappeared. Dusting off her hands, Xochitl muttered smugly, "Whew! That wasn't much of a problem..."

"You saved us once again, Xochitl," said Bert. "When can we continue the mission?"

"Just as soon as we clear up the casualties," replied Xochitl. "That battle really cost the civilians a few lives. Anyway, how's PowerPaws?"

"Right as rain," said PowerPaws with a smile.

Xochitl smiled, before saying, "All right. We're going to solve our last riddle, even if we have to risk our lives doing it. Next stop-Mexico!"

Meanwhile, the injured reindeer had come back to Neptune to bring Jackson the bad news. Zoey said, "The Time Toon Cops beat us! And that young girl-her name was Xochitl, I think-she blew us away with her big breath of wind!"

Jackson growled. He said, "This has gone way too far! Those rotten Time Toon Jerks are going to pay dearly for this!"

"But here's some good news," said Rudolph. He held up a patch of brown fur in his cloven hooves. "While I was fighting PowerPaws, I had happened to grab a fur sample of Snooper before our defeat. You know what to do with it, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, I do," said Jackson. "With that sample of the cat's DNA, I'll create an evil clone of Snooper. I bet Dr. Hamsterviel has never done that before!"

"Good," said Belladonna, laughing. "And best of all, we'll help you the rest of the way!"

They all laughed evilly. Watching from the cage, Holly shuddered. "_Oh, no,_" she thought. "_They're going to clone my son, and make it evil! This will put him into a great deal of danger! I hope he's still all right..._"

Just then, the Rescue Aid Society mice returned. They were carrying a new message. Holly asked, "What's this?"

"A message," said the mouse. "From your husband. He was found in Florida, and he is reported to be alive and safe."

"Oh, thank you," said Holly. "You're really kind." Then she read the message.

_My dear Holly,_

_I have recieved your message. I'll be there to rescue you just as soon as you can. And remember-__-__I love you. Merry Christmas._

_Yours truly, your beloved husband,_

_Alphonse Snooper_

Holly sighed in relief and held the letter close to her chest. She sighed, "Oh...my Alphie...he's still alive...and he's coming to rescue me. Oh, my Alphonse..."


	10. Chapter 9: A Frightening Encounter

Chapter 9: A Frightening Encounter

The TTC Enterprise made its way to the Yucatan pennisula in Mexico, and landed in Cucan. There they were greeted by Alex II's cousin Hector Armington, and his brother Michael Armington. Hector is the governor of Mexico, and Michael was the leader of the TTC Mexican Police Branch.

"_Hola_, Cousin Alex II and Presidente Raccoon," said Hector, shaking hands with them. "And _hola_ to you, too, Señorita PowerPaws and Señor Roberts. What we can do for you?"

"Hey, cousin," said Alex II. "We need to head on over to the hidden underground Mayan city-we're going to search for the world's tallest Christmas tree. Can you take us there? You got the clearance for that."

"Sure, cousin," replied Hector. "But why?"

Bert answered, "We have to save Christmas from Jackson. He turned Robot Santa from Good to Evil."

Hector was shocked at hearing this. He said, "WHAT? That hombre is trying to ruin Christmas? GRRRR! Well, we can help you. Follow us in our special presidential limos and jeeps."

They got into the limos and jeeps, and headed over to the secret underground tunnel. At the entrance, the TTC began to look around, but they were confused. PowerPaws said, "We found the tunnel, but how do we get in?"

"It's very simple," said Xochitl. "When the remaining Mayans built their underground empire, they had a huge stone wall, which could only open if a secret password was uttered. That gave the conquistadores a hard time trying to get through to their intended prey-they eventually gave up after a million guesses!" She laughed and continued proudly, "Boy, were my people so smart..."

"Then," asked Bert. "What is the secret password?"

"I'll give you a hint. It's the Yucatec Mayan word for 'sun'. To close it, you need the word for 'water'. That's sort of like 'open sesame' or something like it."

"We don't know what it is. Can you demonstrate it to us?"

Xochitl nodded, before going up to the stone wall, which had a picture of a two-headed fire-breathing serpent. She raised her arms into the air and shouted, "K'iin!" In an instant, the jewel eyes on both heads of the serpent glowed a bright blood red, and the stone wall opened. Xochitl motioned for the team to follow her inside-Rufus stayed behind, speaking to the policemen in rapid-fire Spanish, telling them to guard the premises. Then, he caught up to the cops, just before Xochitl shouted, "Ha'!"

As soon as the wall slammed shut with a pulsating thud, the TTC continued on their way. Throughout the tunnel, the walls were adorned with ancient Mayan pictographs and symbols, pictures of creatures of the jungle and various characters from legends and folktales. Xochitl stopped the group and pointed to one particular picture. It showed three raccoon-like creatures fighting against something that looked like a pink aardvark with a long nose. Melissa said, "Hey, we remember that picture. That was when Bert, Ralph, and I encountered Cyril Sneer, when he attempted to cut down all the trees in the Evergreen Forest."

"Yes," said Xochitl with an amused chuckle. "I guess the high priests had unknowingly prophesied your beginnings, even when raccoons didn't exist in the tropical areas."

The TTC continued walking through the tunnel, until they spotted a bright light at the end. When they emerged outside, they couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was a real ancient Mayan city! With temples! Statues! And many kinds of fish the size of your own arm! In fact, it looked like it had come straight out of the history books. The people were real Mayans-they weren't actors and all the clothing and costumes they were wearing were for real. Little children ran along the side of the canal, playing with a bouncing rubber ball. Elders gathered by the river and discussed politics, religion, and the good old days. Even teenage boys and girls hung out, and talked, laughed, and flirted with each other.

"Well, here we are," said Xochitl cheerily. "The underground Mayan city of New Chichen Itza."

"It looks just like that city in 'El Dorado'," said Bentley. "Except that everything's not made out of gold."

Xochitl sighed. She recalled, "My mom used to take me there every summer, to educate me on my unique heritage. I spent a few years of my happy childhood in this place-I had so many friends there. And I learned so much of my people's language, culture, and religion, which molded me into the very person you met today."

"This is amazing," said Snooper. "I can't believe how one almost-extinct civilization could survive beneath the growing Spanish empire, without the conquerors knowing."

"It is. Everything here remains pretty much status quo over the centuries. Nothing has changed much...except for that new movie theater in the street over there-it was my dad who suggested that some new technology be introduced in this city. My people use it, yet they forget how."

All of a sudden, Rufus shouted, "Look!"

The TTC turned to see a beautiful Mayan woman in royal clothing, bathing her face in the pool. He said, "There she is-the love of my life. Her name is Zyanya."

"Come on, Rufus," said Bert. "You would take it real serious if she was your wife, too."

Rufus, however, wasn't listening. He had already run towards the woman, shouting happily to her in the Mayan language. He shouted, "Zyanya! It's me! Your beloved!"

The woman looked up and noticed Rufus. At once, she smiled, and the two embraced each other, sharing a tender kiss. Rufus continued, "I'm so glad you're still in New Chichen Itza. Would you like to come with me and meet my new friends?"

"I could," said the woman. "But I have so many things to do. You see, my father, he told me one day..."

The TTC stood from afar off, watching the reunited couple talking. Xochitl said, "My mom and dad got along pretty well, especially at the time I was conceived. They had planned to get married someday, but Dad had postponed it, saying that he had to tend to his projects, and promising to return when he was done. It was truly a heartbreaking experience for Mom-she hated to see him leave her so suddenly."

"Like in Puccini's 'Madame Butterfly'," said Bentley.

Alex II said, "All right, team. The Christmas tree has got to be here somewhere in this city. But in order for the search to be successful, we all have to split up and form new teams."

"But Alex II," said Blitz. "We weren't used to working in separate areas. We all work together!"

"That could be likely, but otherwise it wouldn't work. The only way that we could make this succeed is that we part ways and scour every street, lane, avenue, and boulevard for the tree."

"Well, if you insist. Who will I go with?"

"Blitz, you go with Melissa Raccoon. Bert will go with one of his daughters-in-law."

"Me?" asked Bright Eyes.

"Yes, Bright Eyes, that's you. Brandy will team up with Lisa, Bentley with Mr. Whiskers, Lilo with Whopper..."

While Alex II went on pairing up team members, Snooper said to Ralph, "I guess we're all going to be split up. Me, I'll go with Cyrus. Could you do me just one favor?"

"Of course, Snooper," said Ralph. "What is it?"

"I want you to take care of PowerPaws for me. She looks like she's gonna be ready to drop a kid in any minute, and you have to be in charge of her until then."

"But Snoop, I thought your brother told you to take care of her."

"He did. But whenever I'm around her, I always feel like silly putty in her paws. And the fact that she's pregnant put such a burden on me."

Ralph groaned. Then, he said, "All right. I'll take her." He took PowerPaws by her hand and led her away. Snooper looked on, and heaved a sigh. Cyrus came up to him and said, "So, bro, are you ready? You know I am."

"Yes, Cyrus," Snooper muttered sadly. "Me, too."

The TTC split up and went searching through New Chichen Itza in two-person teams. By that time, Ralph and PowerPaws had gone exploring in its vicinity. PowerPaws said, "Isn't this wonderful, taking a tour through one of the most historic-yet-unheard-of places in the world?"

"Oh, uh, yes," said Ralph nervously. "In fact, I can smell fresh maize just around the corner."

PowerPaws sniffed the air. She said, "Ooh! I smell them, too! Actually, I don't eat regular corn very often, so sometimes I had to make do with popcorn."

"I don't know if they make popcorn in here. This is an ancient city, you know."

"Ralph, you're being too serious. Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been eating a lot lately. About last month, I ate an entire Thanksgiving turkey and a pumpkin pie. And if I want to eat more, then I'm going to do it. Could you at least tell one of those merchants to hand me an ear of maize or two?"

"You know I don't speak or understand Mayan."

"Didn't you learn any of it from Xochitl?"

"No."

PowerPaws laughed. "Then, you're a coward. Why, I could even master Thai while walking upside-down on a rope suspended in the air...and you'd think that isn't really true. I'm a little like Whopper-I exaggerate most of the time. Or, maybe I can teach you..."

All of a sudden, she felt a short wave of pain grip her stomach. She muttered, "Uh-oh..."

"Was that a contraction, PowerPaws?" asked Ralph.

"I-I don't know," muttered PowerPaws. "This was the same one I felt three hours before. It wasn't that strong then."

"Well, there's not a single hospital in New Chichen Itza. But there are midwives-I can take you to one."

'No, I wouldn't want one. I was used to giving birth in hospitals. If you think hiring a midwife is crazy, then-"

Another contraction, this time much stronger and more painful, ripped through her body. She screamed out loud and clung onto Ralph, clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. She muttered in between gasps and pants, "Well...I...I could surely...hire a midwife in such an emergency...like this..."

"Oh, no," Ralph muttered desperately. "The baby's coming! But...I don't see any midwives anywhere in the city!"

"Then, I'd suggest you start looking, Ralph," said PowerPaws. "And you'd better do it-QUICK!"

Suddenly, they heard an elderly voice call out, "Did somebody say someone's in the den?"

They turned and saw two foxes standing behind them. It was Aunt Enya Gracepaw, and her niece Una, straight from Vulpes. Ralph said, "Hey, you're those two women Bentley told us about. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we were on vacation, dearie," said Aunt Enya. "Una and I decided that after a hard day's work bringing children into the world, it would be nice to relax and charge our little biological batteries."

"Anyway, you're just in time-PowerPaws here is going into labor, and she needs your help!"

Aunt Enya looked at PowerPaws for some time, before saying, "Well, she's definitely in the den, all right. I'll help, but first, we're going to need a comfortable atmosphere for the birth experience."

"How about that building," said PowerPaws. "Right over there?"

"Why, that's our hotel," answered Aunt Enya. "Not a perfect delivery room, but it'll have to do. Una! Let's bring those two into our room. We have a birth to attend to!"

"Yes, Aunt Enya," said Una obediently.

The two female Vulpians ran off, with Ralph and PowerPaws walking after them. Ralph said gently, "Everything's going to be okay, PowerPaws. It's gonna be okay..."

Back on Neptune, Jackson and Belladonna had finished making an evil clone of Super Snooper. The glass door opened, and the clone woke up. He resembled Snooper a great deal, but his eyes were red, his fur was black, and he had fangs and claws.

"Good work, Belladonna," said Jackson. "Your evil flowed into him." He turned to the clone and said, "From now on, your name will be Jack Snooper, A.K.A. Jack Bandit. I got that from Doug Funnie after I killed him, and Patti Mayonnaise and his friends-but I kept Bee Bee Bluff and made her my servant." As he said this, Bee Bee came out wearing a black dress, with spiked cuffs on her arms, black slip-on shoes, and was carrying a dark sword with her. She cracked an evil smile. Jackson added, "She also is good with housekeeping."

"How interesting," said Belladonna.

"Bee Bee," ordered Jackson. "Go and fix some food for the guest, but before you feed her, bring the food to me. I need to put something in it."

"Yes, Master," moaned Bee Bee, walking off to the kitchen.

Belladonna was stunned. She asked, "Why do you want to feed Holly?"

Jackson replied, "You want to know the reason why? I happen to have a mind control drug with me. Once I put it in her drink, and she drinks it, then she will be under my powers. It means I can control her, see? I am going to lay a trap for the TTC Jerks-once they rescue her I will order her to attack her husband and her kids, too. Then, we will attack them, too."

Bee Bee came back with a plate of a roast octorok (from the Legend of Zelda planet) and a cup of fruit punch. Jackson put the mind control pill in the drink, in which it instantly dissolved. He said, "There, now. Take it to her. Make sure she accepts it-Belladonna and I will be outside sending the clone out to Earth." And then he and Belladonna left. Bee Bee went over to Holly and said, "Dinner is served, Mrs. Snooper."

Holly took one look at it and said sternly, "You know very full well that I don't eat or drink anything that has drugs in it."

"Try it," said Bee Bee enticingly. "You'll like it."

"No," said Holly, and turned her back on her.

"It's good for you."

"It may be good for you, but bad for me. I'm not gonna eat that junk, even if you have to-oh!"

Bee Bee had wrapped one arm around Holly's waist and dragged her close. With the other hand, she held the drink and prepared to pour it down her throat. Holly screamed and meowed wildly, thrashing her arms about. But then, she decided to strike back by sinking her claws into Bee Bee's arm. Bee Bee backed away, yelling in pain. Holly yelled, "No means, no, and I _mean_ it!"

The cup had fallen from her hand and the punch spilled all over the floor. Rubbing her arm, Bee Bee growled, "Have it your way, then. But I'll be back-and this time, it's no more Mr. Nice Girl!"

As soon as Bee Bee had walked away, Holly heaved a sigh of relief. Looking around, she said, "I'd better get out of here before Jackson returns. But...how?" At last, she spotted the door of the cage to her right. On it was an iron lock. She continued, "There's the door, but it's locked. I wonder if I can try to open it somehow. Eureka! I've got it!" With that, she produced a single claw, which sprang out of her finger. "I can use one of my claws to pick locks. I've seen people do this on TV dozens of times!"

Holly dug her claw deep into the keyhole of the lock, until she heard a clicking noise. Then, she pushed the cage door, and it opened with a creak. Holly laughed. She was finally free! Holly walked out of the cage and looked back at it with pride. She said, "Now, how about that? I found a way to get out of my prison. Getting off of Neptune, however, is another problem. But still...I'm glad that I've got my confidence back. I'm sure that my son will come to rescue me, once he gets here."

She looked around the room, making sure there was nobody around. There were two evil elf guards, but fortunately they happened to be fast asleep. Holly, with growing determination, tiptoed quietly past the guards and entered Jackson's control room. This was her chance to get back at her kidnapper. She walked over to one section of the room and looked at all the buttons, levers, and switches. Then, she came upon a red button, with a message above it that said, "DANGER! DO NOT PUSH!"

"Danger schmanger," scoffed Holly. "I've got a Christmas to save..." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pressed the button. She expected to hear an alarm, but there wasn't one. All she could hear was complete silence. Then, she heard somebody moan groggily, "Where...am I?"

Holly spun around and saw Bee Bee staggering into the room. This time, she looked and felt different. Holly asked, "Are you all right, dear?"

"Um, yes," murmured Bee Bee. "I guess so. Where's Daddy? Where are all of my friends?"

"They're dead. I don't know if your father's still alive. But I'm glad you're back to your normal self again. Wait a minute, did I..."

She looked outside and became surprised. Neptunian elves and reindeer, who were once subjected to Jackson's control, were now freed from his evil power and had gained their normal identities. She looked back at the button she had pressed. Holly had unknowingly freed the captives from the spell, but why did the sign say not to press the button? Perhaps she will never know.

"Come along," she said, taking Bee Bee by the hand and leading her away. "Let's form an army. I'm going to give that wicked young man a piece of my mind..."

Meanwhile, the TTC had already split up and searched the premises of New Chichen Itza. In the marketplace, Blitz and Melissa were asking an old merchant about the location of the Christmas tree. Melissa said, "Excuse me, sir, but we're looking for a tall Christmas tree. Do you know where it is?"

"A Christmas what?" said the merchant, raising an eyebrow.

"A Christmas tree. You know-coniferous, sort of like a fir tree. We need it for our mission."

"I don't know what you're talking about, young lady."

Blitz and Melissa looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Blitz said, "This poor fellow's probably stricken with a case of Alzheimer's."

"Sir," Melissa continued. "Our friend, Xochitl, told us that a Christmas tree must be in this city somewhere."

"Oh, Xochitl?" answered the merchant. "Ah, I remember her. She's that half-serpent girl. She and her mother used to come around this area."

"Then, do you actually know where it is?"

"It's either in the east side behind the emperor's palace, or in the west side in the middle of the city plaza."

Melissa turned to Blitz and said, "We're gonna have to split up again and search both areas at once. Blitz, you go explore the palace. I'll go to to the plaza."

"Right," replied Blitz. And then they separated.

In another part of the city, Snooper and Cyrus were sitting by the river. Using their binoculars, they searched the entire region for any signs of the Christmas tree. Cyrus said, "Do you see it yet?"

"No dice," answered Snooper. "You?"

"Nil. There's hardly a leaf or bark that could tell us that the tree is in here. And it's not across the river, either."

They put down their binoculars and sighed. After a moment, Cyrus said, "It's no use finding the Christmas tree. We might as well give up."

"But still, we have to keep trying, Cyrus. The people of Canerica are counting on us to save the holidays."

They sat in silence for several moments. Then, Snooper said, "Say, while we're sitting here, maybe we can tell some jokes to cheer us up a little bit."

"Really?" said Cyrus. "Oh, I absolutely love jokes! Okay, I got one-once there were three religious leaders. One was a priest, the second a rabbi, and the third a swami. They entered a restaurant one night..."

Unbeknownst to them, the clone named Jack Bandit had landed in the city. Upon spotting Snooper, he cracked a sly smile and prepared to load up his laser gun. He muttered, "This cat is going to be dead meat for sure." He aimed the gun at his target, but he had trouble figuring out which one. Snooper and Cyrus looked identical to one another. They were twins-what's the use of trying to kill an intended target? Confused, he accidentally pulled the trigger.

"...and then the rabbi said-"

A ray of burning light zipped past their heads. The two cats jumped up with a start. Cyrus shouted, "What was that?"

Snooper looked behind Cyrus and saw Jack. He said, "I don't know who that stranger is, but I'll bet he's after me and my friends!" He took out a laser gun and shot back. It was only then that he regretted his choice-the gun had run out of ammo. "Oh, no, not again..." Then, he started to run away, with Jack following behind him and shooting after him. Cyrus called out, "Be careful, bro!"

Snooper continued to run away from Jack. He pushed through two elderly women, who complained. He shouted back, "Sorry!" He then arrived at the marketplace (where Blitz and Melissa had been) and hid in one of the clay pots. Jack stopped there and jumped in another one. After a silly hop-out-of-one-pot-and-appear-in-another gag routine, Snooper jumped out and ran away. Jack blasted out of the pots, breaking the others near him, and dashed off, leaving the shopkeeper to fret over the mess.

Then Snooper made his way through a courtyard, where a rubber ball game was in progress. When a ball bounced into his paws, he ended up being pummeled by the opposing team. Jack arrived and witnessed the whole thing-he wanted to get into the action, pounding Snooper to death. Unfortunately for him, the private-eye cat slipped out from under the pile of players and walked off, the ball still in his hands. He heard the crowd clamoring, so he decided to make the best of it by kicking the ball high into the air, and it passed through a gold ring in the wall. Before continuing to run on his way, he shouted victoriously (and just for fun), "Goaaaaaaaaal!"

Snooper eventually ended up in a three-corner alley. This time, he had nowhere to go, and he knew he was going to be trapped. Jack found him standing there, shivering.

"The party's over, Mr. Snooper," said Jack sternly. He held up the laser gun and pointed it at Snooper's head. "I'll see you at the Pearly Gates..."

"And I'll see _you_ in Hell!" said Snooper angrily. "What do you want?"

"Nothing in particular. Nothing...except your soul!"

"You'll never get away with taking my life! NEVER!"

Snooper reached into his pocket and took out a small box of Sinutab tablets. He whispered, "This is for you, YouTube..." With that, he jammed the box down Jack's throat, shouting, "Sinutab! Apply directly to your forehead! How do you like that?"

Jack was choking, but he still wanted to kill Snooper. He gasped, "I'll...get...you...for...THIS!"

Snooper ran off, leaving his adversary behind. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream. And then a female voice that he recognized: "Snooper!"

"It's PowerPaws," said Snooper. "I'll bet she needs help!" And then he ran off, trying to find the source of the noise.

In Una and Enya's room in the hotel, PowerPaws was indeed in need of help-she was giving birth. She moaned, "Oh, no...oh, no, the pain...it's too much!"

"Come on, PowerPaws," said Ralph. "Just use those Lamaze breathing exercises. You'll be all right once it's over."

"Were you this nervous when Dolly was being born?"

"Well, I was...a little bit, actually."

Back outside, Blitz and Melissa had reunited. They still haven't found the Christmas tree. Then, they ran into Bert and Bright Eyes. Melissa asked, "Did you find the tree?"

"No," said Bert.

"It wasn't in the south gate," added Bright Eyes.

And then came Lisa and Brandy. Lisa said, "It wasn't behind the north one, either."

Their ears perked up to PowerPaws' screaming. Blitz said, "PowerPaws is in trouble. We'd better go help her."

"No," said Melissa. "You go and find the others. Bert, Bright Eyes, Brandy, Lisa, and me, we'll go and see what's happening."

The five cops then ran off, leaving Blitz behind. They arrived at the hotel, where they found PowerPaws propped up against the foot of a bed, with Ralph supporting her. Melissa asked, "Ralph, what are you...?"

"Don't ask," said Ralph.

Melissa went over to PowerPaws. She said, "Are you all right?"

"I'm good, so far," whispered PowerPaws. She grimaced, before continuing, "However, I'm in a serious predicament right now..."

"Are you sure you're not-"

PowerPaws gave out another ear-piercing scream. She grabbed Melissa's paw and gripped it tight, almost crushing it. She said in between gasps, "The baby...the baby...it's coming right now...I don't think I'm gonna make it!"

"What's going on?" asked Bert.

Melissa said to Ralph, "Call all the rest of the cops in. This is a big emergency we've got to deal with."

"But the mission..."

"We're gonna have to put that off for a while. In the meantime..."

Suddenly, Aunt Enya shouted, "Great flaming tails! Look!"

"What is it?" asked Melissa.

"I see a little patch of brown fur in there. That might be the top of the baby's head coming through. Buckle up, you guys-we're gonna have one heck of a bumpy ride."

PowerPaws groaned again. What was taking Snooper so long?


	11. Chapter 10: The TTC Vs Jack Bandit

Chapter 10: TTC Vs. Jack Bandit

By the time Snooper arrived at the hotel, the entire TTC team were already there. He saw PowerPaws and ran over to her at once. He said breathlessly, "Sorry I took so long, PowerPaws. An evil clone of me named Jack is after me. I slowed him down, but he will come at me in any moment."

"You're safe here, at least," said PowerPaws. "But I need to get this baby out of me fast!"

"The baby's coming pretty fast, Snooper," said Aunt Enya. "Will you assist us in this birth?"

"All right. Then, I'll be here to help."

He ran over to a clay pot full of water and washed his paws in it. Then, he returned, his trench coat sleeves all rolled up. He asked, "How are the contractions?"

"They were five minutes apart."

"That's pretty normal, for a second-time mother."

PowerPaws scoffed at his comment. Suddenly, they heard a ringtone sound out, "Merry Cave Christmas, everyone!" They turned around and saw Jack standing at the door, with Snooper's cell phone in one paw and his laser gun in the other. Upon seeing Snooper and his father and siblings, he cracked a sly smiled and said, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Six Snoopers for the price of one!"

"Leave us alone, you monster!" said Siren angrily. "You chased our brother through the streets of the city, just to get to us?"

"Not just you," replied Jack, loading up the laser gun again. "But all of your friends as well." He aimed the gun at the TTC. Lisa shouted, "Oh, no! We're trapped!"

They had no choice. They failed the mission for the first time in their history-and now they were going to literally die for it. But then, good fortune dawned upon them when Xochitl came to the rescue. She ran up to the doorway and grabbed Jack from behind, causing him to shoot the laser ray into the ceiling. She sent him hurling to the ground, and as soon as he had gained consciousness, he looked up at her and snarled angrily. He growled, "What was _that_ for?"

"That," said Xochitl. "Was for messing with the world's greatest private-eye!"

Jack put a paw to his nose, and when he looked at it, it was covered with blood. He growled, "You're asking for a serious butt-whooping, sister!"

"If it's a war you want, then it's a war you'll get! MORTAL COMBAT!"

Jack and Xochitl started to fight, using all the kung fu and karate moves you could find in many Asian martial arts movies. Charles said, "We've got to protect PowerPaws. Let's get ready to fight, team!"

"Right!" said the toons. They got out their laser and stun guns. Rufus reactivated his Sword of Vulcan. And Luna got out her Light Saber. The TTC were ready to help Xochitl defeat Jack.

While the team was battling their new enemy, Snooper was busy trying to deliver PowerPaws' baby. He muttered, "Push, Eugenia. I could almost see the head coming out!"

"Where's the mirror?" asked PowerPaws breathlessly. "I want to see it."

"I don't think this hotel has any mirrors around, let alone one hanging on the wall."

"Fine, then. Get my makeup mirror out of my purse. It may be small, but it'll give you a larger view of the object."

"There's no time. Your kid's coming in real fast-I doubt if you'll hang on much longer if I go over to get it."

"What's the use of experiencing the horrors of birth the second time around? With Luna, it wasn't so bad."

"I don't know. Just push, and it'll be all over!"

The grunts, yells, and laser gun shots combined with the pained screams of PowerPaws and Snooper's consistent muttering, creating a din that was really too much for Aunt Enya and Una to bear. Aunt Enya shouted (over the noise), "We'll be in the bathroom when you need us!" And then they were gone.

Several minutes passed. The entire hotel room was covered in laser ray holes. Wool curtains were ripped, windows were broken, and the air smelled of sulfur. The TTC, injured but still alive, were standing over Jack, who was seriously injured and disgracefully defeated. Xochitl put a foot upon his back and said, "Any last words?"

"You win this time," Jack grunted, the weight of her foot crushing him. "Maybe I'm not that strong enough to conquer you clowns. But you ain't seen nothing yet!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. And you know that riddle concerning a Christmas tree in a Mayan city? I'd hate to break it to you, but it's a trap."

The TTC gasped in horror. Was that true? Bert said, "It's no wonder we were unable to find it!"

"Tell us the truth, Jack," said Xochitl, pressing her foot in very hard. "Where is the Christmas tree? We know the riddle's a fake."

Jack gasped. Now that the foot has deliberately crushed his lungs, he had nothing else to say except those four words: "In...the...public...square..."

Xochitl raised her eyebrows in surprise. There was something familiar about that place. She could recall her mom taking her there once or twice...

"The Ix Chel Square," she murmured. "The location of the Mayan Christmas Festival."

"Huh?" said Cyrus. "We didn't know the Mayans knew about Christmas."

Xochitl replied, "They did, but they altered its real origins to fit their lifestyle. They regard it as the anniversary of the day Dad first came here." To Jack, who was suffocating helplessly, she said, "And now, you die..." With that, she crushed his head with her foot. Blood splattered everywhere, even on the team. Bright Eyes shuddered and whispered, "Ewwww..."

"We defeated Jack," said Alex II. "But what about-"

He was interrupted by another loud scream. It was PowerPaws again, and it seemed like her baby is ready to arrive at any moment. Snooper shouted, "Come around, you guys! The baby's almost here!"

The TTC arrived at Snooper's side. He said to PowerPaws, "All right. Keep pushing, PowerPaws!"

PowerPaws drew a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. She grunted as she attempted to push. Snooper and the others watched in delight as he muttered happily, "Oh, I can see it! I can see it! There's the whole head. And here come the shoulders..." Right in the middle of everything, PowerPaws stopped pushing to gasp for air and regain her strength. After she had done this, she continued to push. "The shoulders are out now. Could it be...?"

With a scream, PowerPaws gave out one last push, and with that the whole body was expelled, along with a gush of warm fluid. A small baby kitten, wet all over from head to tail, lay sprawled over a pile of blankets. Snooper gently picked it up and held it while he suctioned the fluids out of the kitten's nose and mouth with a bulb syringe (he was always handy with the tools). After a short pause, all they heard was a tiny gasp...and then a weak cry. Snooper took one more look at it and gasped in delight. He laughed and shouted joyfully, "It's a boy!"

The TTC cheered. Once, there was their first failure, along with a stunning victory. And then...the first birth that had ever occurred during a mission!

PowerPaws, who was leaning back against Ralph in exhaustion, heard the kitten's squall and sat up to see what was going on. Snooper placed the baby on her stomach and said, "Here he is, Eugenia...your beautiful son."

She looked at the baby and stroked his fur gently. She whispered happily, "A son...I finally have a son..." Cyrus ran over to her and also took a look at the kitten. He smiled and said, "I know something familiar about that kid..."

"Don't start it, Cyrus," said Snooper sternly. He knew there was about to be another argument.

Cyrus continued happily, "He looks just like me! With that cute little nose, too."

Snooper's jaw nearly dropped. He stammered, "Y-you mean..."

"That's right," said Cyrus. "I knew it was mine. All this time, I thought it was KITT's, but I guess the unexplained miracle of DNA really proved me wrong."

"And what does that make me?"

"An uncle."

Snooper smiled. He and Tiny Tim were now uncles, and Nellie and Siren have become aunts. And Alphonse? A proud grandfather. He said, "Gee, thanks, Cyrus. And congratulations, too." But there was one thing he couldn't get done-the umbilical cord had to be cut. He said, "Uh, Aunt Enya...?"

Aunt Enya and Una had peeked out from behind the door of the bathroom. They, too, had witnessed the birth scene. She said, "You don't need any scissors to cut the cord. You'll have to use your teeth. It's the practice of most Vulpian midwives."

Snooper shuddered. It sounded gross, but he had to do it. After hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath, picked up the umbilical cord, and began chewing on it. The cord broke apart in a snap. Having completed this amazing feat, he shouted victoriously, "I did it!" The TTC cheered once more.

A few minutes passed. Luna and Ralph helped PowerPaws up from the ground, while Melissa bathed the baby and wrapped him up in one of the blankets. The mess was then cleaned up instantly. Lisa asked, "What will you name him, PowerPaws?"

"I was going to name him after my dad," said PowerPaws. "But then, I just settled on 'Davy'. It was the name of my old pen pal from Canada."

Rufus smiled. He had gotten to see his new grandson. He never felt any happier than ever before. Patting his daughter's back, he said, "I'm proud of you, Eugenia. You did it beautifully."

"You did, too, when you created me years ago."

Finally, the TTC were ready to leave the hotel. But before that, Xochitl found a note lying next to Jack's corpse. It said:

_Meet me on Neptune, on Christmas Eve. But not before you find that last clue._

"Jackson's latest message to us," said Xochitl. "Follow me, you guys-we've got to see what he's up to this time." No sooner had they done this than they ran into a group of Mayan soldiers in front of them. One of them said in a monotonic robot voice, "Xochitl and company, you are under arrest for the invasion of Fort Robotnik, A.K.A. 'New Chichen Itza'. Come with us if you want to live."

The TTC immediately lifted their arms up in a "We Surrender" gesture. Bentley said, "Oh...so this _is_ a trap."

"It's not just a trap, Bentley," whispered Xochitl in fear. "It's a robot fort!"

On Neptune, Jackson had returned to his lair. He noticed something different about this place-his evil servants were gone. Then he went inside to the control room and gasped in shock. He muttered, "What the...?" The red button had been pressed. He looked in the dungeon and found that the cage was open. And there was a dried puddle of fruit punch on the floor. He growled, "GRRR! HOLLY AND BEE BEE! THAT STUPID CAT PUSHED THE BUTTON! GRRRRRR!"

"Well, that's just great," snarled Belladonna. "And we were just about to turn her into our ally."

Jackson turned to Shadow Charles and said, "Get Holly and Bee Bee and bring them to me." To Belladonna, he said, "And Belladonna, get your troops to capture the elves and reindeers. Put the elves in cages-I don't need them, but the reindeers are stronger than elves, so bring them to me so I can make my Dark Liquid stronger. Wait a minute! I got an idea-update your whistle to the reindeer setting, too, so they will be under our complete spell."

"Right," said Belladonna. She called her demon troops together and said, "Troops, go and capture the elves and the reindeer-put the elves in cages, but leave the reindeer to me." She took out her whistle and updated it to "Reindeer Mode". She blew it, and soon all the reindeer were back under Belladonna's control.

"WE ARE IN YOUR COMMAND, BELLADONNA AND JACKSON," they all said.

Belladonna said, "Good. Now, help my troops capture the elves and put them in cages."

"YES, MASTERS."

The reindeer went off to capture all the Neptunian elves. Meanwhile, Holly was outside the premises, with Bee Bee following her.

"The ship is over there," said Holly, pointing to an old spaceship. "It still works, and we might be able to make it back to Earth on time." Suddenly, Shadow Charles teleported in front of Holly and Bee Bee, and he grabbed them by the necks.

"Not so fast, Holly and Bee Bee," he said. He turned to Bee Bee and said, "Jackson is very upset with you, and now he's going to punish you and that new friend of yours. You will be punished by Belladonna as well. Holly, she will rape you, too, but the baby you will be carrying will be out first, and then you will be raped by Belladonna while Jackson rapes Bee Bee for disobeying him."

"No!" pleaded Holly. "Please! Don't take us to him! And what's the idea about a woman raping another woman? That's a bunch of nonsense!"

"Well, if you don't like that, maybe I'd suggest you get killed by the reindeer instead."

Holly shuddered. She remembered the old Christmas song, "Grandma Got Run Over by the Reindeer". She didn't want to end up like the grandmother in the song. But still, she decided to bargain with Shadow Charles in order to save her own life. She said, "All right. That's how it should be. But before I die, I want you to know only one thing..." She whispered into his ear, "There's an Xbox 360, complete with the games and controllers, waiting at your front door. If you let me live, then it'll be all yours."

Shadow Charles smiled. He loved video games. Placing Holly back on the ground, he said, "You're spared, Mrs. Snooper. But I'll take Bee Bee back with me. CHAOS CONTROL!" Then Shadow Charles teleported again. Holly heaved a sigh of relief. Going back to the ship, she said, "It's a good thing my recent vacations in Ireland gave me a little bit of luck with the famous Blarney Stone..."

Back at the lair, Jackson was angry at Bee Bee. He didn't even notice that Holly was gone. He growled, "GRRRR! You and that cat almost botched my plans, but Jack is on Earth attacking her son even as we speak. So, Belladonna, have your troops stand guard here-I'll take Bee Bee and remind her who is boss." Then, Jackson dragged the screaming Bee Bee to his room and the door close. He had finally got the reindeer back in control, and he was still waiting for the Time Toon Cops to meet him in his lair.

But where are they? Trapped in a fake ancient Mayan city, which had turned out to be a robot fortress. The robots arrested the TTC and took them to a prison situated inside the fort. Bert shouted sternly, "I'll have you know that I'm the president of these United States of Canerica! Why do you have to arrest us?"

"You're all spies," said the robot guard. "And the master designates any visitors to this fake ancient Mayan city as spies. He did that to avenge the humiliating defeat you gave him years ago."

"We know who that 'master' is," said Sonic. "That's Dr. Robotnik!"

"Affirmative," said the other robot guard. "As of right now, you have been summoned to the trial in court at precisely 3.5 minutes."

Bentley looked at his watch and said, "Well, it's too late. We're free then?"

The robots glared at him. They said, "Negative."

Bentley gulped, smiled nervously, and backed away from them. In no time, the robots and the TTC arrived at a large steel door, which led to an even larger courtroom the size of a department store. There was a huge big-screen television above the podium, facing the center of the room where the cops stood. An army of robots entered the room and surrounded the place. One of the robots said in a bold voice, "All rise for the Honorable Dr. Robotnik, in the case of the citizens of Fort Robotnik Vs. Super Snooper and company."

"Why me?" whined Snooper. "All I just did was escape the grasp of that Jack Bandit guy."

The TV screen went into static, before showing Dr. Robotnik, with his two henchmen Scratch and Grounder by his side. He demanded, "What's this all about?"

"Your Honor," said a robot attorney. "We, the robots of Fort Robotnik, have the venerable honor of filing a lawsuit against a certain cat, who goes by the name of Delbert 'Super' Snooper." As he said that, another screen appeared, showing information about Snooper. The robot went on, "He is 1,079 years old, born in Manhattan, and he has been serving the Time Toon Cops since 3008. The following offenses he has committed in this vicinity are as follows..."

With that, he produced what looked to the cops like a videotape, and put in a VCR below the TV screen. Then, the screen showed a scene with Snooper running past the two elderly women. "Camera 3A-the suspect rushes in between two of our female robots, knocking them away and disrupting their day watch around the environs of the fort by the river, in Sector 67825." Another scene played, this time featuring Snooper and Jack in a pottery shop. "Camera 1E-the suspect runs into a pottery shop in the shopping district in Sector 54321. The items are destroyed upon his departure." Yet another scene showed Snooper and Jack in the ball court. "And finally, Camera 6D-the suspect ends up in a ball court in Sector 92103, a game recently in progress. After freeing himself from the opposing side of the team, the suspect heads over to the other side, and kicks the ball into the gold ring in the wall before exiting."

The TTC stared at Snooper sternly. Nellie said, "You might've read in the history books that the Mayans use their elbows _and_ hips to play the game, _not_ their feet."

"Oops," muttered Snooper, blushing.

Dr. Robotnik thought for a moment, before saying, "So...what's the verdict, then?"

"I define that the suspect is guilty as charged," said the attorney. "And he must be sentenced to be roboticized."

The TTC gasped in horror. Snooper hung his head and muttered guiltily, "Well...I _do_ deserve it for my foolishness..."

Dr. Robotnik laughed and said, "Then let the roboticizing begin!"

The robots went over to Snooper and led him over to a roboticizing machine in the other side of the room. To Snooper and the others, it looked like an electric chair. They sat him down and strapped his arms to the arm rests and placed a steel helmet on his head. The robot said (in mock sympathy), "Don't worry-this won't hurt a single bit..."

The TTC could only stand and watch as the robot attorney prepared to throw the switch. In a minute, Snooper will instantly be turned into a robot-and if they interfere with the execution, they're going to be roboticized as well! Snooper closed his eyes and took what he thought was going to be his last breath. It seemed that the mission was going to fail after all...

All of a sudden, a fierce wind started to blow in. A female voice shouted, "STOP RIGHT THERE, ROBOTNIK!"

There was another gust of wind, this time more powerful, and a bright ball of light floated into the room. It touched the ground and materialized into Alexandra Raccoon. Bert cried out, "Mom!"

"Who are you, woman?" said Robotnik, bursting in anger. "And what are you doing here?"

Alexandra replied, "My name is Alexandra Raccoon, and I'm here to insist that you let go of my son and his friends. I believe they are perfectly innocent, and you know full well that it's wrong to arrest them while they are in the middle of their incomplete mission."

"What mission? I hope it doesn't involve-"

"It involves Jackson's plan to ruin Christmas for everyone on Earth. He has reactivated Robot Santa and turned him against his lifelong recipients, especially the children. If he succeeds with this, the results will be utterly disastrous-and that's why I want you to let the Time Toon Cops go."

"I'll never let them go. They're spies! Jackson told me so!"

"Spies? Jackson told you they were spies? Now, I know why you trapped them-he told you to arrest them in order to delay their departure for Neptune, where he is right now. I'm infuriated at the thought of my son being labeled as a 'spy'-he never was one."

"The incident at Sneer Mansion was an exception," whispered Melissa.

Alexandra continued, "Robotnik, if you and your mechanical goons don't do anything about setting the cops free, I will make you regret this very day!"

Robotnik crossed his arms, turned his head away, and said haughtily, "Make me." His henchmen stuck out their tongues at her. By this time, Alexandra was angrier than ever. With a loud roar, she caused a great earthquake that shook the entire fortress. Then, she turned back into a ball of light and said to the cops, "Follow me."

The TTC broke out of their chains and ran out of the fort as fast as their legs could carry them. All around them steel walls began to break apart and pieces of stone, clay, and gold fell into the river. Finally, they came to the tunnel where they had first entered not long ago. And there was that same wall with the two-headed serpent. Ralph shouted, "Hurry, Xochitl! Use that magic word!"

Part of a huge golden statue fell into the water, creating a tidal wave that was headed for the cops. Xochitl shouted, "K'iin!" The door didn't open. She shouted the word several times, before gasping for breath. Then, she said, "I give up-the wall won't open if it doesn't hear the word loud enough. Can any one of you take over for me?"

Everyone pointed to each other, cracking nervous smiles. Then, Bentley said, "I can do it."

"Well, then, hurry! The wave's going straight for us, and we're all gonna be drowned!"

Bentley went up to the wall and shouted, "K'iin!"

The wall instantly opened and the TTC ran out of the tunnel. Bentley then shouted out another word: "Ha'!" The wall slammed shut, and from within the cops can hear the wave crashing against it. Bert shouted happily, "We did it! We made it out alive!"

"Bentley," said Vanessa, hugging him. "I had no idea you could master the ancient Mayan language."

"Yes," replied Bentley with a nod. "And I owe it all to Xochitl, who taught me those two words."

Michael, Hector, and their crew ran over to see what had happened. Michael said, "Anybody okay?"

"We're fine," said Alex II. "Except for a few bruises. Oh, and PowerPaws just had her baby."

"Wow! That must've been some dangerous mission you've been undertaking."

Just then, the cops realized something. PowerPaws said, "The tree! We forgot to get the Christmas tree! We need it to solve the riddle!"

"Oh, that's okay," said Hector. "We already found it. It was sitting right under the public square in Mexico City, and..."

"Then why didn't we look there instead of New Chichen Itza?"

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you. We never had managed to get the real facts straight. Anyway, we're so glad you're back."

"Why?"

"A spaceship crashed near the underground tunnel, while we were still standing guard."

The TTC looked up and saw a huge spaceship crammed up against a wilting palm tree. The Mexican police officers were at the ramp, helping an old female cat gently to the ground. Snooper gasped and said, "It's Mother! She's still alive!"

The cat was Holly, who had already escaped from Neptune and went out in search of her family. Upon seeing Alphonse, she smiled, tears springing into her eyes. She shouted joyfully, "Alphonse! My dear Alphonse!"

Alphonse looked up, saw Holly, and also began to cry. He shouted, "Oh, Holly!"

The two old cats ran to each other and gave each other many hugs, kisses, and contented sighs. Then, Holly saw Snooper and gave him a hug and a kiss. She whispered tearfully, "Oh, Delbert...I'm so happy to see you again, my son. And you're...you're not dead!"

"You're not dead, either," replied Snooper. "Isn't it a miracle?"

After distributing more hugs and kisses to her other children, Holly asked, "Where's Jack and Jill?"

The TTC stared at her in surprise. Bert said, "Excuse me...?"

Holly repeated, "Jackson and Jillian Snooper-two of my kittens in the litter. I refer to the boy by the short version of his name so as to avoid much confusion-we don't want to associate him with that detestable Jackson Roberts, do we?"

Melissa said to Snooper, "You never told us about your other two siblings."

"I know," said Snooper. "And I'm sorry."

PowerPaws said, "I know where Jack and Jill might be. They work at the Shining Star Memorial Hospital, the first medical center to cater to all species of aliens."

"The hospital?" asked Holly, a little bit confused.

"That's right. It does a whole variety of services-operations, surgeries, transplants, physical therapy, you name it. It also has a maternity unit, including the spawning rooms where...well...you know."

"What do they use the spawning rooms for?"

"For the extraterrestrials who want to give birth to their young," said Ralph. "The female toons and humans use them, too, when they're expecting alien babies."

PowerPaws continued, "Jack and Jill work in the maternity unit, as obstetricians. If we can get to the hospital to see them, we just might make it to Neptune."

"I don't think that's possible," said Michael, producing a note that he found. Xochitl grabbed it and read it.

_Change of plans. Tonight we duke it out in Washington DC (that's right, Time Toon Jerks-YOUR HOMETOWN!)._

"He's going to take the battle to Washington," said Bert. "The ladies and the kids will be in danger if this happens!"

"Yeah," said PowerPaws. "And the hospital is over there, too."

"Then, we're gonna have to head on over there as fast as we can," said Alexandra, who had materialized again. "Son, you're the president of the United States of Canerica-everyone depends on you to do all you can to make sure this country is safe as well." Turning to Bentley, she continued, "And you will get to help him, Bentley. Sometimes, Bert and his team might not be fit to save the world, but when that situation comes it's up to you to do whatever you can, however great or small, to stop Jackson and his evil plan. And remember-the fate of the holidays is in your hands..."

"All right, Mrs. Raccoon," said Bentley, more determined than ever. "I'll try."


	12. Chapter 11: The Great Battle

Chapter 11: The Great Battle

The TTC Enterprise arrived in Washington DC, but upon coming back they noticed that Jackson was already there, with the evil reindeer blasting the police. Charles groaned, "Oh, man-Jackson just beat us to the finish line."

"Then quick!" shouted PowerPaws, as they ran out of the ship. "Let's help the police stop them!"

Jackson noticed the cops and cracked a malicious grin. He said, "Well, TTC Jerks, you're finally here." With him was Shadow Charles, Bee Bee (who had been turned to evil again), Belladonna, Rudolph, Zoey and the other reindeer. Standing right next to Rudolph was his newly born son, who looked just like him but with Jackson's evil eyes, too. Jackson continued, "I see you defeated Jack Bandit, but my reindeer son will take you out. Say 'hi' to Jackson Roberts Jr.! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" He added, "Or you could just call him 'Jackson II'."

"Hello, TTC Jerks," said Jackson II.

Alex II shuddered and muttered, "Okay...that you don't see every day."

Then, Robot Santa and his robotic reindeer came to the scene. He bellowed, "AM I TOO LATE TO JOIN THE FUN, JACKSON? HO HO HO HO!" He took out a AK-47 out of his sack.

Jackson replied, "Well, Robot Santa, you're never too late to join in the fun. So...Shadow Charles, take care of PowerPaws, Sonic, Shadow, Alex II, and Knuckles, while I take care of my idiot brother. Belladonna, fight your cousin Annabelle. Dark Ichy, Killer, Carface and Demon Dog, you go and fight Charlie, Itchy, and the rest of the All Dogs Go To Heaven gang. Robot Santa, fight President Raccoon and his family, with that Xochitl girl, too. And reindeers, attack them. And as for you, my son-I want you to attack Snooper."

Then he looked up to see Holly with Alphonse. He was angry. He said, "Well, Holly, I know Shadow Charles let you live, but remember the time that I raped you upon your kidnapping? You carried your new son, but we already took him out."

As he said this, a male Neko Cat with red eyes, sharp claws, and grey fur jumped out in front of Jackson. "I would like you to meet your son, Ken Roberts."

Ken stared at Holly for some time. He looked over her curiously, walking around her. Jackson, infuriated, shouted, "Well, what are you waiting for? SAY SOMETHING MEAN!"

Frightened out of his wits, Ken struggled to come up with an insult. His master/father had created him to do evil, but thanks to the overpowering genes of the Snooper bloodline, he was nervous, friendly, and he only wanted to be a good guy. So, how can he say something mean to a mother he barely even knew? Finally, Ken said (in a light British accent), "Uh...well...you stink."

Holly cowered in fright. Jackson growled, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Oh, uh, sorry, Dad," said Ken, scratching the back of his head. "I just couldn't...hurt her so bad. She was my mother, after all."

"Is he really my son?" asked Holly fearfully. "I don't even know him."

"That's right, Holly," replied Jackson. "He's your son, since he has my evil descent."

Alphonse then became angry. He meowed and shouted angrily, "YOU BLOWHARD! You raped my beautiful wife. You're gonna pay for this, you mean old-"

"Son, new target-attack Alphonse while I fight Charles."

"Yes, Father," said Jackson II, taking out his Red Laser Saber. He said to Alphonse, "TIME TO FACE THE DARK SIDE, OLD MAN!"

Then the battle began. From inside the White House, Cream was looking through the window, witnessing the fight. She shouted excitedly, "Mother! Mother, come look!"

Vanilla, Nicole, and the children came over to see what was going on. Vanilla said, "Oh, the Time Toon Cops are back. And now they're battling Jackson!"

"Is Pa and Ma fighting?" asked Clark.

"I see them," said Nicole. "And they _are_ fighting, I presume."

"I wanna see, Gramma!"

Nicole pulled the overactive hybrid toddler from the window and pushed him away. She replied, "No, dear. The violence is just too much for you little ones to watch."

"But what about Daddy?" whined Lorna. "We wanna see him fight, too!"

Harrison added, "Yeah, and we wanna see Grandpa Bert take that mean old bad guy down!"

"But-"

All at once, the little children cried and whined so loud, the three mothers had to close their ears. Finally, Nicole sighed and said, "Oh...all right, you can come and watch. But it's only for one night."

The children cheered and ran over to the window to catch a glimpse of their parents' big showdown. Outside, Jackson said, "Let's see if you can handle this! DARK DRAGON UP!" Then he transformed into the Dark Dragon. He continued, "Well, Charles, I got the Dark Dragon powers. NOW'S THE TIME TO END THIS!"

"Oh, yeah?" shouted Charles. "DRAGON Z TRANSFORMED!" Then he turned into a Red Dragon with a vizor on his head. "NOW, LET'S FIGHT!"

Shadow Charles took out the 7 Chaos Emeralds and became NOVA Shadow Charles (for those of you wondering about that acronym, I'll describe it to you in this way-Natually Over-Villainized Ally). He shouted, "LET'S SEE WHO IS THE TRUE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM, POWERPAWS!"

"We will stop you, Shadow Charles," said Sonic and Shadow. With that, they transformed into Super Sonic and Hyper Shadow. Alex II Became Server Alexander Hedgehog, and Knuckles became Chaos Knuckles. At first, the battle seemed to go on for hours. Many people, humans and toons alike, came over to watch and cheer the TTC on.

But not everyone took it as exciting material. Somewhere on the other side of Washington DC, two cats exited out of the Shining Star Memorial Hospital. The cats' names were-you guessed it-Jack and Jill Snooper, the most famous doctors in the entire galaxy. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Jack said breathlessly, "You know, Jill? I think this is the last time I'll ever attend the delivery of the Moon Dog puppies. Their cries almost bust my eardrums!"

"Yeah," said Jill. "And don't you dare get me started on the twins from Alpha Centari."

All at once, their ears perked up to some sounds of cheering from afar off. As they walked off, trying to figure out the source of the clamor, Jack said, "Where is all that noise coming from...?" And sure enough, they arrived at the middle of the city, where the people were witnessing a widescale battle going on. Spotting Snooper trying to fend off the evil reindeer, Jack asked, "Hey, isn't that our brother over there?"

"It is, Jack," replied Jill. "We haven't seen him in a long while! I wonder what he's up to right now..."

By that time, the battle had taken a turn for the worse. Belladonna had knocked out Annabelle, leaving her unconscious and weak. Bert, Lisa, Bert Jr., and Ralph were injured by bullet wounds from Robot Santa. And PowerPaws was being constantly pummeled on the ground by NOVA Shadow Charles. All over her body were scars caused by the Chaos Spears attack. And just before the battle, she had left Baby Davy inside the ship-the baby was wailing. PowerPaws tried to get up to get her baby, but she was knocked down several times. She groaned desperately, "My baby! I want to get my baby!"

"That kid's better off dead," said NOVA Shadow Charles. "Now, you die!"

Cyrus was not going to let that happen. He ran over and tackled NOVA Shadow Charles to the ground. He shouted aggressively, "Stay away from my wife, you red-eyed bum!"

PowerPaws couldn't believe what she was hearing. She asked weakly, "I'm...I'm your wife, Cyrus?"

"You are, now," said Cyrus, helping her up. "And once we get this over with, we're gonna have ourselves a big wedding."

"We will?"

"I promise. Now, let's go get our son!"

They ran over to the ship, only to find out that Bee Bee was already inside, creeping up to the mewling kitten. She whispered menacingly, "Hush, little kitten, don't say a word, Bee Bee's gonna feed you to a great big bird..."

Holly appeared out of nowhere and knocked Bee Bee out with a frying pan, thus killing her. She shouted, "Get your dirty evil hands off of my grandson, you..."

"Mom!" said Cyrus. "You saved our kid!"

Picking Davy up, Holly said, "Well, babysitting comes naturally to me."

They ran out of the TTC Enterprise. Holly tended to the kitten, while Cyrus and PowerPaws continued to fight. Over time, the battle got worse and worse, and it seemed that the TTC were being terribly beaten by Jackson and his crew. It was going to be a bad Christmas, all right. Jackson laughed and said, "What do you think of us now?"

There was no answer. Then, Xochitl cried out, very slowly, "We're...not...finished...with...you...yet..."

The crowd stood still, their faces containing both shock and surprise. Nicole, Vanilla, Cream, and the kids were watching. They, too, were shocked and surprised. Nicole whispered, "Oh, no..."

"Uh, Jack?" asked Jill. "Do you think we ought to help those cops? They're dying out here."

Jack replied, "We're obstetricians, not surgeons. But still...maybe it won't hurt to patch up a scar or two."

Silence reigned. Neither any of the cops struggled to get up. Jackson laughed, feeling that he at last had defeated the Time Toon Cops. He said, "Well, it looks like I win! Christmas is finally ruined-FOREVER! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" The reindeer, Robot Santa, Belladonna, Rudolph, Zoey, and the others started laughing along with him. Then, pointing the AK-47 at the astonished crowd, Robot Santa said, "So, which one of you naughty weaklings want to have a taste of a blood-red Christmas?"

The people raised up their hands, frightened but ready to surrender. Just then, Clark had the sudden urge to run out and attack the very robot that almost killed his father. He jumped out of Nicole's lap, and headed for the door. Vanilla shouted, "Clark! No!"

Clark ran up to Robot Santa and pounded his steel-alloy body. He cried out, "Leave Pa alone, Evil Santa! Let him be!"

Bentley's ears perked up to Clark's voice. He opened his eyes, and looked up to see Clark attempting to beat down Robot Santa. He muttered, "Uh...Clark?"

Then, almost as if by magic or by some hidden sign, the rest of the cops' children ran out of the White House and joined in pounding Robot Santa's body. Charlie shouted, "How could you do this to Mom and Dad? For once, I thought I had believed in you!"

"Yeah!" agreed Morris. "You're not even a _real_ Santa!"

The children clamored on. One by one, the team members rose up slowly and saw the whole thing. Then, the bright light appeared again, and Alexandra materialized. Seeing the children, she said, "You know, you guys can learn a thing or two from those youngsters."

"What is it?" asked Bentley.

"Children," replied Alexandra. "Are not like adults when it comes to imagination. Whenever you think of Santa Claus, you think of Robot Santa and his penchant for killing innocent people. But the children believe in one thing and one thing only-the real Santa Claus, with his great white beard and his little cherry nose. He would never use an AK-47 to slaughter people, for all we know is that he only gives out presents to the good kids and coal to the bad ones. Fear, as evidenced in the audience, only propagates the trouble with Robot Santa. Do you remember when you were a young boy and you always loved to write letters to Santa, telling him what you wanted for Christmas every year? Well, things have changed, and the only thing you want for Christmas now is for the whole world to be safe. Tell me-what do you really want for Christmas?"

The TTC closed their eyes and thought really hard of what they wanted for Christmas. At last, Bentley said, "Now, I know what we really want for Christmas, besides the saving-the-world thing."

"And what would that be?" asked Alexandra, leaning closer. Bentley whispered into her ear. She laughed and said, "Well, why didn't you say so? Of course, I'll grant all of your wishes-but only if you can help bring Santa back to keep the holidays from being ruined. It's our only hope..."

Bentley drew a deep breath. There was only one method that he could bring up-singing one of the most beloved of all Christmas tunes. He began to sing, "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, you'd better not pout, I'm telling you why..."

Rocky and Bright Eyes got up. They knew there was another cheerful song coming. They sang, "Santa Claus is coming to town!"

Jackson and his crew were stunned. He stammered, "W-what's the meaning of all this?"

The TTC members then joined in. Lisa sang, "He's making a list, and checking it twice..."

"Gonna find out who's naughty or nice," sang Bert.

"Santa Claus is coming to town," the TTC sang. Jackson shouted, "Stop it!"

Soon, the children and the whole crowd joined in. They sang, "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake..."

As they continued the song, Jackson demanded, "As sole commander of the universe-and Earth-I order you to stop that racket! STOP IT!"

He could tell, because Robot Santa was already weakened by the song. He began to float up into the air, higher and higher and higher...until he exploded with a bang! The crowd cheered. Robot Santa was finished for good! And so was Jackson. Bentley folded his arms and said, with a sly smile, "What do you think of that, Jackson?"

Jackson fumed, before heaving a sigh and holding out his hands. He muttered, "I give up." Bentley went over and put the handcuffs on him. While all this was going on, something white and flaky fell on the ground. They were pieces of ice, shaped in many different sizes and patterns. Clark said, "Look, Pa! It's snow!"

The children laughed and frolicked in the gently falling snow, making snowmen and snow angels. Vanessa asked, "Was that part of your Christmas wish, Bentley?"

"Hey," said Bentley with a chuckle. "I just made a wish for something to make our son happy. He hasn't seen much snow in over a year."

"Then what did the others wish for?"

Bert came up. He said, "I wished for another wife. I was only starting to like that Minora Grizzly girl from Florida. In the deceased section, the newspaper said her husband was run over by a car. And her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids were killed in the battle we fought there last time."

"Oh."

"I made a wish," said Melissa. "That Ralph and I would have our very own morning talk show on TV. Ralph said he's considering quitting his position as Vice-President."

"Good," said Bert. "Then I'll make Cedric Sneer the new Vice-President."

Lastly, Snooper came up. A sad look was on his face. He muttered, "Selena...she's gone. She didn't survive that light saber wound pretty well."

"Oh, man," said Nellie. "That was _so_ messed up, Delbert. Losing the one you love is awfully painful. But anyway, what was your Christmas wish?"

Snooper thought for only a moment. Then, he said, "My Christmas wish? Well...that was sort of a secret."

"Aw, come on, bro! Spill it!"

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you...I wished that Lady Creampuff would come and visit me here tomorrow. On Christmas morning."

Bert was puzzled. He asked, "Who's she?"

"She was a beautiful woman," replied Snooper. "From San Francisco. I fell in love with her while me, Yogi Bear, and my pals were on a treasure hunt there to recover the lost Hopeless Diamond years ago. I missed her so greatly-I loved her so much, I wanted to take her to be my wife."

"You're gonna be pretty lucky, Snoop. Since Selena is now dead, this is a good opportunity to remarry. Maybe you'll get your Christmas wish tomorrow, just like you said."

Ken came up and said, "Well, if it isn't any trouble for you guys, would it be all right if I joined your team? My name is Kenneth Roberts. You can call me Ken."

Snooper smiled and shook the paw of his half-brother. He said, "Then, consider yourself hired...brother."

Bert looked at his watch and gasped. He said, "Oh, boy! It's almost 9:30! We'd better get to bed right now-we'll be having enough energy for tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," said Lisa, as they ran back inside the White House. "And you sure wasted some of it battling Jackson."


	13. Chapter 12: Merry Christmas

Chapter 12: Merry Christmas

Then a female cat came up to Shadow Charles as he was waking up. She said, "Shadow Charles, listen. I've been watching the battle from the sidelines, and I'm very disappointed in you. You're supposed to fight evil, not good, because you're a good guy. You were supposed to protect Megakat City, and the world, too. Please, Shadow Charles...come back to me."

Shadow Charles instantly remembered who it was. He muttered, "Maria? is that you?"

"Yes, Shadow Charles," said Maria. "It is me. I want you to be good."

"Man, I was playing for a fool. Sorry, Maria. And I'm sorry, TTC and Powerpaws, if I caused this mess."

He hung his head down in shame. PowerPaws went over to him, patted his shoulder, and said, "Hey, lighten up. It's okay to feel guilty for all the bad things you had done. Look at Mr. Ken Roberts-even though he was created to be a bad guy, he actually wanted to do good rather than evil. That's why we had accepted him into our team. You can join us, if you want to."

Shadow Charles looked up. He asked, "Really?"

PowerPaws nodded her head and replied, "Of course. But not before you get a few new upgrades from Professor Hackel."

The TTC were glad that they had finally saved Christmas. They've beaten Robot Santa, they've beaten Jackson and his goons, and they all got plenty of time left to spend the holidays with their loved ones. Only one question remained: what are they going to do with the Christmas-themed clues they had collected on a worldwide scavenger hunt?

"Uh, Bert," said Bentley. "Before we go home, I want to know what we were going to do with the clues we've got."

"That's easy," replied Bert. "But I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do with the Candy Cane, mistletoes, Golden Bell, and the Christmas tree. From now on until tomorrow, it's going to remain a closely guarded secret, so don't tell anyone."

"All right. I won't."

The TTC said their farewells, and parted ways, before going to their respective homes. Soon, Christmas morning came. Bentley, Vanessa, and the others were back at Hollywood, fast asleep. Suddenly, Bentley woke up to Alexandra's voice saying, "Bentley, wake up."

He sat up with a start. "Yes, Mrs. Raccoon?"

"It's Christmas morning," replied Alexandra excitedly. "Go and wake up your wife, parents, and kids. My son will be expecting you."

Bentley woke Vanessa up and told her what was happening. Then, they went up to wake up their children and they started taking their whole family on a trip back to Washington DC. They arrived at the White House, only to find that the TTC members and their families were already there. Snooper said, "It's Christmas morning, and Bert had just invited us back here for the party. Are you excited?"

"Not as excited as you are, Snoop," said Bentley. "My kids are looking forward to opening the presents."

They all waited, with bated breaths, for Bert to appear. At last, Bert and Lisa came out of the front doors of the White House and greeted the families. He shouted cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, everybody! Are you ready to rock, Yuletide-style?"

The people cheered. Lisa said, "Then come right on in!"

The interior of the White House was decorated in festive holiday colors, as it had been when the party started a few days earlier. A giant Christmas tree stood in the king-sized parlor, and around it were dozens of presents for the little boys and girls, as well as for the adults. All at once, the children ran over excitedly to open their much-anticipated gifts. Charlie got a Hot Wheels race car set. Luna got a new iPod. Dolly got a Wets-A-Lot baby doll (complete with a plastic potty). And of course, Clark got an Agent R action figure, courtesy of his father.

Next, Bert led the guests into the dining room, where they continued eating the Christmas dinner they had been working on before the mission started. Then, once the dinner was finished, he led them out into the backyard, where they got the biggest surprise of their lives-an enormous larger-than-life Candy Cane, situated in the middle of an ice rink the size of a football field. The kids skated happily onto the ice, playing and trying to lick the Candy Cane at the same time.

Another exciting set of events followed on that day. There were going to be two weddings-one of Bert and Minora, and the other of Cyrus and PowerPaws. Snooper hoped to throw in a third one, but he was worried. Where is his bride?

"Aw, cheer up, Daddy," said Selma. "We're sure our new mommy's going to be here."

"I doubt it," muttered Snooper. "She's so far away-there can't be a way for her to get to DC on time."

Just then, he perked his ears up to a female voice he recognized, "Hello. You must be Super Snooper. I haven't seen you for a long time."

Snooper turned around and jolted in surprise. Hearts began to appear in his eyes. It was Lady Creampuff, the wealthy human woman he had fallen for in San Francisco years ago. Snooper muttered nervously, "Oh...it's you. I thought you'd never make it here."

"Yes, I did," said Lady Creampuff. "A raccoon named Alexandra told me to come here."

"You knew Bert's mom?"

"I didn't know her. But she invited me, anyway. So, who's getting married here?"

"Well, Bert and Mrs. Grizzly's gonna tie the knot. And so are my brother and PowerPaws. The one thing missing in this special occasion is us-we're getting married, too."

Lady Creampuff laughed. She said, "I knew you were going to ask me that. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get married right away!"

The time came for the triple wedding to start. Father El-Gamal came by and lined up the three couples. He said, "Boys, do you take these women to be your wedded wives, and promise to be good to them from Christmas Day and beyond?"

"We do!" said Bert, Cyrus, and Snooper.

"And ladies, will you take these men to be your husbands?"

"Yes!" said Minora, PowerPaws, and Lady Creampuff.

"Then, by the power vested in me, the three of you are now officially married."

He intoned in a mixture of Latin and Hebrew, before continuing, "You may now smash the glass cups and kiss your brides."

Bert, Cyrus, and Snooper smashed the glass cups with their feet, one at a time, before sharing a lusty kiss with their mates. The guests cheered. Bert now had three wives, Cyrus and PowerPaws were finally wed (and thank goodness, they promised not to fight or argue with each other anymore), and Snooper had a chance to be with his Golden Gate belle...forever.

Other Christmas wishes came true for the rest of the TTC. The manager of CTBS (Canerican Toon Broadcasting Station) came over to Ralph and Melissa, and said, "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon?"

"Yes," answered Ralph. "We are."

The man continued, "Congratulations. After seeing you kick some bum in the battle yesterday, I was mighty impressed by the way you two worked together as a pair. So, as a reward, I'm going to give you a contract to star in your very own morning talk show!"

They gasped in delight. Melissa asked, "Is that true?"

"You bet it is. The original hosts of the talk show, _Wake up, Canerica_, called it quits. And we at CTBS figured that we'd hire you to take their places. I'm sure you're going to brighten the audiences for many years to come."

Ralph and Melissa smiled, as they proceeded to sign the contract. Ralph said, "Oh, yes, we'd love to take it. By the way, who are you?"

"Me?" replied the manger wittily. "None other than old Top Cat myself!"

Ralph and Melissa laughed lightheartedly. It's no wonder how the scam king of the alley cats could work his way up to become the manager of Canerica's most popular TV station. And, of course, it's no wonder that their Christmas wish had finally come to pass.

Bert shouted happily, "Come on, everybody. LET'S SING!"

The guests cheered again, as they began to sing a happy Christmas song.

CUE SONG: "Sleigh Ride"

BERT: (singing)  
_I hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing, ring-ting-tingle-ing, too,  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you  
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling "Yoo Hoo",  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_

LISA: (singing)  
_Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, let's go, let's check out the show,  
We're riding in a wonderland of snow,  
Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, it's grand, just holding your hand,  
We're gliding along with a song of a wintery fairy land_

BOTH: (singing)  
_Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,  
We've snuggled close together like two birds of a feather would be  
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two,  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_

SNOOPER: (singing)  
_There's a Christmas party at the home of Bert Raccoon,  
A perfect time for every other man and toon,  
We'll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop,  
At the fireplace where we'll watch the chestnuts pop, pop, pop, pop_

NOSE MARIE: (singing)  
_There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy  
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie_

BERT JR.: (singing)  
_It'll nearly be like a picture print from Currier and Ives_

ROCKY: (speaking)  
_But it won't!_

ALL: (singing)  
_These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives_

XOCHITL: (rapping)  
_Yeah, it's Christmastime, you know what that means,  
A holiday with cool and snowy scenes_

SIREN: (rapping)  
_So let's hit the road in a one-horse sleigh  
While we tell how the TTC saved the day_

XOCHITL: (rapping)  
_It started with a lost experiment,  
Robot Santa bringing rampage wherever he went_

SIREN: (rapping)  
_Jackson came up with a real low crime_

BOTH: (rapping)  
_But we all beat him in the nick of time!_

ALL: (singing)  
_Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, let's go, let's check out the show,  
We're riding in a wonderland of snow,  
Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, it's grand, just holding your hand,  
We're gliding along with a song of a wintery fairy land _

_Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we,  
We've snuggled close together like two birds of a feather would be  
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two,  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_

_Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_

BERT: (speaking)  
_One more time!_

ALL: (singing)  
_Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together...with...you!_

BERT: (speaking)  
_Merry Christmas!_

KING FAOLAN: (speaking)  
_And Falla Miha! _

BERT: (speaking)  
_To you!_

BENTLEY: (speaking)  
_And you!_

ALL: (singing)  
_And you and you and you!_

Everybody cheered at the end of the song. The scene slowly melted away to transform into just a picture in the book that Alexandra was reading to the puppies. Closing the book, she concluded, "And that, my dears, is how the Time Toon Cops saved Christmas."

The puppies were spellbound. They had never heard such an amazing Christmas story like that one before. They said, "Wow! Thanks, Alexandra! You're a good storyteller!"

"Indeed, she is," said Annabelle with a smile. "And I assure you that this entertaining story about the TTC's special mission will be told for all generations to come."

"But will she tell us more stories like that one?"

Alexandra chuckled. She said, "We'll see about that, sweethearts. In the meantime, it's almost getting dark. You should be going off to bed right now." The puppies groaned. One of them said, "We don't want to go to bed, Alexandra. We wanna hear another story!"

"I'm sorry," replied Alexandra. "But you would have to wait until Christmas rolls around again. After all, you _should_ be content with the one I've told you earlier, and just to be sure, I'm going to see to it that you will all have pleasant dreams about this joyous holiday."

The puppies nodded obediently, and Annabelle led them away. Alexandra looked on, smiled, and sat back in the rocking chair. She yawned and said to herself sleepily, "Well, as dear old Santa Claus would say at a time like this...'Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'..." Then, Alexandra closed her eyes and rocked slowly back and forth, sleeping. Beside her was the book she had been reading, and the wind blew in, opening the book to reveal a page that featured Bentley and his family. Then (to the surprise and delight of all of us), the picture came to life and Bentley winked his eye.

THE END!


End file.
